Success Stories

Ralph August 2000

At only fifteen weeks of age, this beautiful Lab puppy with a broken leg was abandoned by his owners and on his way to the local pound to be euthanized. A good samaritan stepped in to help Ralph, and delivered him to the loving arms of his rescuer!

Ralph's injury turned out to be a broken elbow; surgery was needed to help stabilize the joint and allow it to heal properly. Ralph's rescuer saw to it that the surgery was performed promptly, and then embarked on a fund-raising campaign to pay for Ralph's medical care. LABMED was happy to help fund the rehabilitation of this sweet, loving puppy.

Ralph had a rocky recovery, though. The original pin placed in his elbow came loose, and Ralph had to return for more surgery to replace that pin with three others. Then an infection complicated the surgical repair, and Ralph had to spend five days at the vet hospital until antibiotics could control the infection. During this time, Ralph lost weight and appeared very frail and weak. Once he was able to go "home" with his rescuer, however, Ralph quickly regained his energy and playful personality. For now, her hardest task has been to try to keep a lively puppy entertained while his leg heals! To Ralph's great delight, this involves a lot of sitting on laps, chewing on toys, and quiet games. Ralph is going to make a cheerful and loving companion when he finds his forever home.