University of Minnesota Helps Jada Run Again! 09/28/2021 By Kerry S Meet Jada: an adorable, loving, playful two-year-old mastiff mix. Jada came into Pet Haven’s care with a limp and wasn’t able to put all of her weight on her right leg. When she first went to the vet for x-rays, we had no idea what was actually in store for the rescue or for Jada. Along the way, Jada went to three different vets. Because what was thought to be just an ACL tear was actually much worse and needed to be seen by the U of M. After careful examination, it was determined that her bones hadn’t grown together appropriately, and she had a grade IV (the worst!) luxation (or dislocation) of her right patella (kneecap). She was walking around with her kneecap on the wrong side of her leg at all times! Due to it being out of place for so long, one of the knee ligaments (her ACL) that was holding her unstable knee together had torn as well. Finally, after further X-rays, it turned out she had a previous fracture of her left femur from trauma. The options we had for Jada’s knee were to straighten out the bone and repair the ligament or amputate her right leg, leaving her with only the already weakened left leg from previous trauma. Due to the other leg being so weak from trauma amputation was not really an option. If we could not repair her leg she would deteriorate rapidly. Hoping that Jada could return to her favorite activities and find a home without the need for extra care and assistive devices, Pet Haven came through with their promise to Jada to help her get back to a full and healthy life. She underwent surgery shortly after her diagnosis. She had her femur reshaped to fix the birth deformity, and her tibia (shin bone) was reshaped and plated with metal to take over the job of the torn ligament. Thanks to the U of M surgery team, Jada will be able to return to her favorite things: running, playing fetch, and playing with her people. Because her surgery was intricate and intense, the vet bills were thousands of dollars, therefore we rely on the generosity of our donor’s gifts to help us offset the costs that our adoption fees do not cover. Without this surgery, she would have lived her life suffering from a painful leg. Jada’s total medical care was over $5,000! We received a generous grant from the U of M that covered half of those expenses. We would not have been able to offer Jada this opportunity without this. Jada’s adoption fee was $430.00. This is a HUGE gap between the cost of needed medical care and what we recover in adoption fees. This is why the Phoenix fund is so important to Pet Haven and the animals we care for. Because we have the Pheonix fund Jada was able to quickly undergo life-changing surgery, has fully recovered, and has found her forever family. We are so happy Jada came into our care and that we were able to give him what he needed to be a healthy, happy loved dog. We are happy to report Jada was adopted by her foster family and is living the good life and has moved south to Florida! The Phoenix Fund Saves Lives. Any gift of support is a chance at a new life. Thank you for considering a donation to the Pet Haven Phoenix Fund!
