Humpty(dog w/smashed face)

GREAT NEWS!!!!
Humpty was released today. He will be recouping at my friend Hollie's house for a few weeks till he is well enough to come to Robyn's Nest (and till I have room :) )

I plan to go visit him in the next few day and take some new pictures to share.

Again I sing the praises of Dr. Barry Fly and his team, they are simply the best. Once his fur comes in it will hardly be noticeable. With the exception of a slightly droopy eye.

Thanks Everyone for your continued support. We were able to pay a major portion of his bill and Dr. Fly has agreed to let us pay the rest as we go. Provided there are no complications for after care, we have almost reached our goal.

Please continue to crosspost and share his story, there is no amount too small even if just $1 or $2 it helps.

From the bottom of my heart and Humpty's, hugs and WOOF WOOF!!!

Robyn & Humpty

Just in from our favorite vet tech, Shewana "He looks GREAT!!! He had a slight temp this am , but was normal thisafternoon. He's eating and drinking. If his temp is still normaltomorrow, maybe he'll be able to go home."

See his photos from today: (warning graphic) http://www.flickr.com/photos/46742915@N08/4307309297/in/set-72157623167078499/

Thank you everyone for your donations, well wishes and prayers. I can see looking at him that he appreciates all the love and support. He know so many everywhere are rooting for him.

Humpty is still recovering under the kind loving hands of Dr. Barry Fly & Staff at Nolensville Vetrinary Clinic. He has has been running a temp of 103 degrees since Saturday. So they are keeping a close watch on him. It could be just from the stress of the surgery or a possible bacterial infection, he has to be watched closely to make sure if it is an infection it does not go to his brain. His spirits are up, he is wagging his tail, eating & drinking normally. His exposure to the elements is limited at this time to prevent further infection. To see his after surgery photos follow this link (WARNING GRAPHIC PHOTOS) http://www.flickr.com/photos/46742915@N08/sets/72157623283977070/

Humpty is still at the vet for about a week, he needs to be monitoredclosely. It is an hour drive from me so I can't go there everyday. :(one of the vet techs is sending me after surgery pics on Monday so Ican post them. He is doing well, last report is he is eating/drinkingand starting to perk up.

Thank You for your continued support of Humpty and Robyn's Nest. We have passed the 50% mark in our fundraising, please continue to cross post and share far & wide.

Thanks
Robyn & Humpty :)

Humpty had his 2nd surgery last night. It took over 4hrs. I will try to explain the process and prognosis as best I can. Dr. Fly repeatedly said, "How he survived this injury is unexplainable, the extent of his injury so severe that under any other circumstances he should have died". First is the fact, that based on how long it takes bone to become necrotic that he has had this injury for several weeks, add to that the fact that the eye orbit was completely shattered, the section covering the frontal lobe was in several pieces as well, just one fragment of bone in his brain could have killed him. The other baffling thing about the severity of his injury is how did he not bleed out or have bleeding in his brain, but he did not. It is truly a miracle that he survived.

Once the necrotic bone was removed, there was not enough left to repair his exposed nasal cavity, this was covered with prosthetic bone. The orbit of his left eye is completely shattered, Dr. Fly was able to build it back up to some extent, he believes that once the swelling and healing is done his will look a bit droopy, sort of like he had a stroke, but for now Humpty's gets to keep his eye, and his sight in that eye seems to be okay for the time being. The the lump where the bone was protruding on top of his head is now hardly noticeable. The pieces that were not shattered or necrotic were put back together, where the bone had to be removed, a "plate" was put in. No bone fragments were found lodged anywhere in his brain, which is just a MIRACLE!!!

He is on pain drip for now, as he is going to have one "heck" of a headache when he wakes up. He will have to remain in the hospital till at least next week. Humpty needs to be monitored for in case he has a seizure which is common after such a major surgery. Also, to make sure there is no swelling on his brain.

Long term prognosis is that he will be prone to sinus infections for the rest of his life and will need to be monitored closely as sinus infection can easily lead to upper respiratory complications as well. Just like a human who has experienced a major head trauma, he could experience periodic seizures, possible neurological side effects, brain swelling and sight loss. Only time will tell.

He is currently resting and being spoiled rotten by the fabulous staff at Nolensville Vet Hospital. After only 4 days, he is already a favorite.

The vet is a long drive from my house, but will try to get new photos for everyone soon.

THANK YOU EVERYONE- for all your well wishes and donations to help poor Humpty, he must know that so many people are rooting for him from all over the world as he has a will and spirit that outshines the horrible ordeal he has been through. It may have took only one person to rescue him, but it took an 'army' to save him & one truly amazing doctor.

Please keep sharing Humpty's story, as we still need help covering his bills until he comes home.

Peace & God Bless
Robyn & Humpty

Humpty has been in surgery since about 4pm, we are waiting for the call from his doctor. Will post news as soon as we know something.

We have good news & Bad News

First the GOOD NEWS:
He is doing well. He is extremely sweet, loving and affectionate. Now that he is getting help, his tail has not stopped wagging. He is still at Dr. Fly's staying for a few more days for observation. He acts as if nothing is wrong. His injury is quite awful to look at, but he acts just a normal as any other 10-12 month old puppy. Other good news is that the prognosis is good, he will recover. His face and head probably will never look normal, but he doesn't care. :)

Now, the BAD NEWS:
The results of the exploratory surgery on Monday concluded that some of the dislodged bone from his skull is necrotic, meaning dead. (link to photo shows the protruding bone http://www.flickr.com/photos/46742915@N08/4285203877/in/set-72157623237120134/ This means that the bone needs to be removed, as it is only a matter of time before his body start rejecting the dead bone. This is going to be a very delicate, precise procedure, and could involve his brain. Dr. Fly could not say for sure until they got in there to see how much of is brain could be compromised. Unfortunately this means his vet cost will now be in the thousands.

Poor Humpty has such a will to survive with not one, but two separate head injuries for over a month, and then spend 4 days on the side of highway in the freezing cold fending for himself. A dog with such a will & positive outlook deserves every chance he can get don't you think?

PLEASE HELP US HELP HUMPTY, no amount is too small every $1 counts, we need to cover his surgeries, boarding & after care. If you can't donate please DO JUST ONE THING, PASS THIS ALONG... we need all the help we can get.

Thank you so Much
Humpty & His Rescuer(s)

Day 1:
On Friday evening January 15, 2010 Robyn, Founder of Robyn's Nest Animal Rescue & Sanctuary got a call from one of the tellers at the local bank, that she had seen a white dog hanging around the exit of Whites Creek Pike & Briley Parkway. It looked like it had been shot in the head, could you please help him. It was already 9pm & extremely dark out, but Robyn headed out anyway to see if she could help. Her search of the intersection found nothing, but some hamburger wrappers, no sign of the dog. She would try again in the morning.

Day 2:
Robyn got up early to tend to her current rescues, in hopes that revisiting the location in day light she would be able to locate him. Unfortunately, an unexpected visitor stop by with a litter of 6 pups who's mother had just died. This delayed to search for the injured dog on the freeway by several hours, as she has to arrange a foster home for the pups and get them vaccinated, plus prepare for the 3 potential adopters arriving in a few hours.

By late afternoon, she was finally able to set out in search of the injured pup. Her friend Nannette had told her she had seen someone feeding a dog in that location earlier that day so Robyn's hopes were high that he had already been rescued. She returned to the location but couldn't find him, she called Nannette who drove to the location and showed her she was looking on the wrong place. Sure enough, in the small patch of grass inside the off ramp there he was lying in the grass. He lifted his head and Robyn was stunned at what she saw. From a distance it appeared that half his face was missing. The dried blood a stark contrast against his white fur. He jumped up & bolted. She sat down and started talking to him telling him it was going to be all right. After 45 minutes, it appeared he was too frightened to come near her. She left to get some dog food, treats, a loop leash and a crate. She returned an hour later to find another concerned person tossing him cookies from a box. She stated she had been stopping by and feeding him for the past 4 days. That one day even an animal control officer tried to catch him, but decided it was to risky, the dog might run into traffic causing an accident, as the triangle shaped island of grass he was on is surrounded by high traffic highways on all 3 sides. Robyn had come to the same conclusion, it was going to be risky, but she couldn't leave him there. She hunkered down, with all her treats and tools in hopes that in time she would earn his trust. He would slowly come close then run away, occasionally giving her a tail wag or two. She would toss him more food, he would run away, she would turn her head and watch him slowly ease back and nibble of the morsels she had tossed out. Clearly he wanted help, but just wasn't sure if Robyn was the one he could trust. This went on for 3 hours. It was now getting dark, the temperature was dropping, Robyn knew she had to come up with another plan. A few other rescuers had offered live traps to help catch him, but they couldn't be there for hours. Robyn had to get back to her rescue to tend to her other animals though it was difficult to leave him there. She set up the crate underneath a tree, left food & water and hoped he would be safe till a trap could get there. A note taped to the crate left instructions to call her if anyone was able to catch him.

An hour or so passed back at the rescue, Robyn couldn't get him off her mind. Then a light bulb went off, take another dog to him, make him see dogs can trust you. She loaded up Lucy, one of the sweetest dogs at the rescue, a case of canned cat food, another blanket and headed back down. Robyn & Lucy found him curled up on the blanket she had left, sleeping next to the crate. When he saw Lucy, he perked right up, but as they came towards him he backed away. So Robyn & Lucy walked in the opposite direction, a look behind, he was following, it was working. They walked in circles for what seemed like forever, each time getting closer to the crate & blanket. When they got to the blanket, Robyn & Lucy sat down. Robyn began to pet & play with Lucy, the injured pup became even more curious. But yet he still would not come close enough for her to get the leash around him. Then another light bulb went off, Robyn took 2 cans of cat food from her pocket and smeared it all over her shoes and jeans, she then snuggled up to Lucy and they pretended to take a nap. Doing her best not to move, hiding her hands in Lucy's fur. Slowly he approached sniffing her and Lucy, licking the food from her jeans, ooops she moved, he backed away and so it went for another hours or so. All the while numerous passersby hollering out the window, "You trying to catch that dog, he's been there for days" or "Finally someone is helping him, I seen em' that few days just sitting there" (Robyn was surprised at how many people has seen him and had not stopped to help)

By now the temp had dropped significantly, both Robyn and Lucy were shivering from the cold. Robyn had to try one last ditch effort. She put Lucy back in the car, went back to the make shift "camp", spread the remaining cans of food on her jeans and made a trail to the crate, placing all the cans inside. She laid back with her across her face and waited, she could feel him sniffing her all over, when she sensed him move towards the crate she slowly got up, when he was half way inside, she ran and pushed him the rest of the way inside. He gave one quick yelp and it was done. Robyn's friend Ric showed up just as she pushed him in and helped her carry the crate to the van.

He soon settled in and was sound asleep by the time the reached home. So not to stress him out too much, she let him sleep, going out to the van every hour to check on him, heat the van up to keep him warm.

DAY 3:
A visit to access the damage. It was determined he needed antibiotics, antiinflammatory & pain meds. He was going to need to see a specialist. He is now at Dr. Barry Fly's having surgery. How he is alive is amazing to everyone. There appears to be two different injuries, one a possible bullet wound but it is hard to say that is over a month old, the other more recent injury can only be guessed at as some form of head trauma, either he was hit by a car, or dropped on his head. Either way, there is a hole between his eyes and another chunk missing from his snout exposing his nasal cavity. At the time of this update, we are still waiting to hear the results of the surgery to see what is if anything is fixable. He is getting neutered today as well, while he is under anesthesia.

We have named him HUMPTY because he broke his egg.

We could sure use your help to off set the costs of Humpty's vetting. Please consider "chipping-in" to help us help Humpty.