Meet SEPR Lou Lou, a sweet girl with a heart of gold, and a happy shining personality that refuses to be dulled.

 

SEPR Lou Lou’s life seemed destined to be rough from the start.

 

Part of an accidental litter, Lou Lou was born blue and unresponsive. Her family administered CPR and miraculously she began to breathe…. the first miracle of her life. As the first months of her life went on It quickly became apparent that something wasn’t quite right.  Lou Lou wasn’t walking, she wasn’t getting up or moving around.  It was determined that Lou Lou has a condition called swimmers syndrome, which causes the limbs to splay in an outwards direction resulting in an inability to walk. For the first 4 to 5 months of her life Lou Lou was unable to walk, she lay flat on her stomach.  After some hands on care, and lots of time, Lou Lou finally was able to walk on her own…. The second miracle of her life.

 

Lou Lou was able to experience life with a family that loved her just the way she was for the first 2 years of her life, unfortunately life had other plans.  Lou Lou’s owner was forced to relinquish ownership as she had begun caring for her own mother who had dementia. Like many shelters across the united states, it was under funded and understaffed. She was at the shelter for over a year, day after day in her cold concrete cell, until we were able to find enough foster homes to get transport moving for Lou Lou and the other 4 dogs.  When Lou Lou finally set foot in South Dakota, we were all absolutely heartbroken taking in her deplorable body condition. Lou Lou had dwindled to a skeleton, a shell of a dog covered in pressure sores and stains from sitting her own urine.

 

We immediately got her into see Dr. Tom at the Tea vet the next day where she had complete x-rays, blood panels, urinalysis, fecal analysis, and a thorough exam.  Records indicate Lou Lou was 58 lbs when she entered the shelter and had dwindled to 38 lbs, fecal analysis shows she had hook worms, urinalysis showed a significant urinary tract infection, and new x-rays showed several immediate health concerns. Severe arthritis in 4 of the vertebrae in her lower back essentially fusing them together, a torn CCL with extensive arthritis and fat pad displacement in her left knee, but possibly the most concerning find was the presence of a mass of foreign bodies in her stomach. 

 

Lou Lou went in for urgent exploratory surgery to remove the foreign bodies, once she had put on a little bit of weight.  With the obstructions removed, Lou Lou had a new lease on life and was full of energy.  We can finally begin to address the additional health issues, consulting with specialists and surgeons.  In the meantime Lou Lou has started an at home PT program to help improve her range of motion, and muscle control, giving her better mobility.  Don’t worry she is more than happy to participate for some pets and love. As Lou Lou puts on muscle mass, her mobility has improved, she is able to navigate stairs on her own successfully.  She does still struggle to jump on the couch or bed and might require a step up or assistance, but that doesn’t stop her from giving it a good try even if she fails and falls down…. she gets right back up.

 

As Lou Lou’s condition improves, we can begin to slowly expand her world, going on small walks, trips to pet stores, car rides.  Now that she is feeling better she can begin controlled integrations with the resident dogs, everyone has been sure to give her space as she heals.

 

Even after experiencing disabling health conditions, isolation, starvation, and invasive surgery, Lou Lou refuses to let any of it get her down. Her bright happy personality is always shining through, her tail is always wagging and all she wants in life is love. A shining example of the resilience of the breed.

 

Everyone that meets Lou Lou immediately falls in love with her, we are certain she will make some lucky family very happy.  Be sure to check back for updates as her journey continues.

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SPECIAL RECOGNITION TO LOU LOU'S FOSTER FAMILY FOR THEIR TIME AND DONATIONS: 

Mike & BJ