Hi all hope it is ok to post this here

I am writing on behalf of Sussex German Shepherd Rescue which is a small rescue run by volunteers and is a non profit organisation.

Since 2007 when the Sussex Rescue was formed it has provided kennelling and veterinary treatment to hundreds of un- wanted,abused dog's and puppies.
This access has been made possible through the generous donations of aware citizens. Without such generosity and support, none of this would have been possible.

The Sussex team are desperately trying to raise much needed funds for one of the rescue dogs at the moment.

Poor Ralph is a 8 month old rescue German Shepherd boy. He was an un-wanted pet and thrown out onto the streets at 4 months old when his owners decided they no longer wanted him. Ralph was on the streets for a while until he decided to cross a road and was knocked down by a car and left to suffer. Lucky for Ralph a kind person found him and took him to the vets.
Ralph's left front leg is shattered, he is going to have an operation on 22nd of February to try and save his leg, there maybe a possibility that his leg may need amputated.

If anyone would like to donate to the Ralph appeal it will be very much appreciated.
So far the rescue have raised over £200 from members on the forum who have kindly donated, the rescue also intend holding raffle's/auctions.
We have a very long way to go, Ralphs treatment has been estimated at the cost of nearly £3000.

Thank you for taking the time to read.
Kind regards
Vicky (Admin for Sussex German Shepherd Rescue) and Ralph.



Ralphs appeal page and letter from vet
http://sussexrescue.heavenforum.org/t3022p30-urgent-appeal-ralph-needs-our-help

http://sussexrescue.heavenforum.org/forum

Hello Sussex,
Your more than welcome on the Willow forum, especially when it comes to anything like this!

like you we are only a small rescue with a small group of dedicated volunteers.
if you look on our needing a home page we are helping our vets to find a home for Erus a 9 month old Doberman who has just had his leg amputated due to a bad break caused by falling down the stairs.

Please keep us posted on Ralph's progress, and how things are going, as you've probably gathered we use our forum as much for social chit chat as well as for rescue information and even to let off steam.

Your welcome anytime! Carry on the good work!

Julie (Drab)

We have a little German Shepherd cross whos now 7 months old - she was also abandoned on the streets at 4 months - she was skinny and has some scars on her muzzle. She was handed into Willow and we fostered her and ended up adopting her permanently. Please keep us up updated on poor Ralph, hopefully he will get the happy ending that my little Bella did.

Poor Ralph. I hope everything goes well with his operation next week. Keep us updated on how he is

Karlie

Thank you for your kind messages, just to let you know Ralph went in for his operation this morning... here is what Christine 'Ralphs personal escort' wrote on the Sussex forum

Ralph is now at the Vet's, very nice place too. So now is the wait for the phone call to let us know he's OK and they've managed to do what they wanted to do :fingersx: Hopefully I will pick him up tomorrow with a leg encased in a metal frame. His mum and dad are going to line his crate with wooden boards so he can't catch himself on the wire, leaving a narrow gap along the top so he can see out. Poor Ralph then has to stay in there for 6 weeks except controlled lead toilet duties, but every day in the crate will be 1 closer to him being able to run :#4521: He was weighed again today and he's gained 3kgs since the initial vet visit, which sounds a lot but he really is just skin and bone as the vet said he had to be kept on the light side, he's just growing into a big lad! Some photos for Siobhan before he went in

Looking through the door of the vet's hospital
You can see how light he is but boy he's shot up
Next time you see that left leg it will be in a metal frame and straight

Even though he's not my dog its nerve wracking knowing what he has to go through but he'll do it because he's so special

Aww bless him. Best of luck. Im sure everything will be ok. Fingers crossed for him.

i really hope everything is ok for him.

Good Luck Ralph!

Can't wait to hear how he gets on, will keep everything crossed X

He's such a beautiful boy, it makes me so sad to see his leg like that, hopefully he will make a speedy recovery - well done all!

All the best Ralph

Good Luck Ralph

Here's thinking of you big boy hope everything has gone ok and that you make a speedy recovery, the hardest part will be keeping him crate rested it's hard to tell them they have to take it easy when they think they're fine and want to race about and play.

Plenty of tasty chewy things should help him take his mind of it.........for a little while

update from Christine (Sussex volunteer)

GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!! Just spoken to ortho vet and he has said Ralph is not having an op at this time. They have re-x-rayed him and at the moment the deviation of the radius is correcting itself as he has grown, its within the normal parameters. There is still a bit of a problem with the growth plate but this is less than on the earlier X rays. Ralph is to be seen in 2 months time to check he is progressing so he's not 100% out the woods yet .



Ralph is now back at home after an action packed day. The vet has gone through his X rays with myself and Macala, such a nice man too. His right elbow has in the past suffered a trauma and left it roughened, with some damage to the ligaments and tendons that attach there but all the enforced rest has helped heal this. The left leg problem with the radius has almost corrected itself, the growth plates that affect this bone have started growing properly and caught up with the rest of him. BUT because of this the left elbow growth plate is slightly behind which has allowed a larger gap to occur where the joint fits into the socket. Ralph has to go back in 6 to 8 weeks to be re X-Rayed to see if his growing has closed this gap. If not he will need an operation to remove 1 maybe 2 slivers of bone from the radius to make the ball joint fit nicely into the socket. So everything his foster dad Alan and his new mum have done to date have been good for him. He is still on limited exercise and of course we will continue his swimming.

Once Christine posts the vets report onto the Sussex forum I will keep you informed.

Someone is smiling down on Ralph!
It's always good news when they are spared an operation and from the sound of it any future op will not be as traumatic as the one he should have had.

Keep up the good work Ralph's foster mum and dad, people like you help people like us do what we do.

Hi Sussex

Is there an update on Ralph? How is his recovery going?

Also, Ive put a link to your website onto our 'Supporters & Links' page. Hope you don't mind

Karlie

Christine, a volunteer for Sussex rescue went to see Ralph today

I went to see Ralph this morning and he is 1 very handsome lad. He's now on reduced pain meds and not in any pain. He's still lacking in muscle tone but that's to be expected with his exercise and diet strictly controlled and yet again he has grown so much, with monster feet. On Saturday he was allowed off lead for 5 minutes but did nothing and stayed with his mum, he's so used to being at walk only its probably going to be a shock when he is eventually allowed to run.


I'm watching my cat friend in the garden, she might play with me later


I can sit when you offer me food!


My best friend Woody shows me how and I copy him even though I'm bigger than him now

Not long now till Ralph goes back for more X-Rays to check on his left elbow, hopefully the growth plate will have sorted itself out and allowed the gap in the joint to narrow and minimise sufficiently that Ralph won't need an operation.

RALPH SAYS A BIG THANKYOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS DONATED TO HIS FUND [b]