A 6 Month Old Puppy with a Broken Leg — and Parvo

Bean came into the shelter in Madison County after someone reported that he had been dumped in their yard.

We wanted to help, but we didn’t have a foster available. Then the stars aligned.

Paige and Chris had applied to adopt a puppy who already had an adoption pending. We talked with them about fostering Bean instead, and they were willing to help.

With help from Jennifer Burleson at Madison County Sheriff and a lot of coordinating, we put a plan together.

Lindsey, a vet tech from Madison Veterinary Hospital, offered to foster Bean over the weekend while we worked on next steps. Joan Sosin once again saved the day by driving to Lake City to meet the Madison County investigator Ziegler, who transported him.

Dr. Mack and the staff at Palm Valley Veterinary Center ran x-rays and bloodwork and held Bean overnight in medical boarding.

Then we hit a crisis.

Bean developed severe diarrhea and tested positive for Parvo. Palm Valley doesn’t have an isolation unit or 24-hour care, so we picked him up and rushed him to Focused Pet Care in Orange Park. Dr. LeVasser helped us when a litter of puppies was poisoned by antifreeze, and later when we were battling Parvo in another litter. Once again, he was there when we needed him.

We repeated the Parvo test in the parking lot, and it was positive again. Even more alarming, Bean’s temperature had climbed to 105.5.

He was immediately started on IV fluids, antibiotics, and supportive care. Dr. Levassor also administered monoclonal antibodies. Overnight, Bean’s fever began to come down, and by morning his temperature was back to normal.

After being discharged from the ER, Bean went into isolation with a medical foster for continued monitoring and care. Three days later, with no symptoms and two consecutive negative Parvo tests, he was finally ready to move on.

Paige and Chris were waiting for him.

For the first time in his life, Bean was living in a home as part of a family, soaking up the love, comfort, and attention every dog deserves.

They took him to Dr. Darrow at ECoVETS for an orthopedic consult and received the news we had been fearing. Bean’s brachial nerve was completely severed. He has no feeling at all in his leg, which means orthopedic repair is not an option.

Bean will need an amputation.

The good news is that dogs are incredibly resilient, and Bean can still live a completely normal, happy life.

This little guy came to us with a broken leg and Parvo. The odds certainly weren’t in his favor.

But thanks to an incredible team of veterinarians, volunteers, transporters, fosters, and supporters who refused to give up on Bean (now Murphy), his future is looking very bright.

Update: Murphy (Bean) had surgery to amputate his leg, and he is completely recovered, happy and healthy! 𝗙𝗨𝗥 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺

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