LUTHER, Okla. (KFOR) — An adorable puppy is one step closer to being back on his feet.
Milo was born with an issue related to his elbows, which left his tiny paws facing the wrong way.
“He’s loud, and he’s opinionated but he’s also so sweet and cuddly,” said rescuer Jennie Hays, who runs Oliver & Friends Farm Rescue and Sanctuary. “He’s just a great little puppy.”
Hays told News 4 that Milo was surrendered to her by a breeder, and they quickly learned of his rare condition.
Milo was only able to move around while doing a type of army crawl, which meant he needed surgery to be able to walk.
“He wouldn’t have had any quality of life past another month or two, so it was definitely required,” Hays said.
Dr. Erik Clary, at OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, said Milo’s condition is very rare – and surgery was nothing short of complicated.
“For each of his elbows, we had to go into the joint and get his elbow back into alignment,” Clary said. “So, once we did that, then, we had to place a pin across his joint to keep things stable.”
On Monday morning, Milo underwent another surgery to remove his splint and pins in his legs.
"Milo is out of surgery and recovering well! Dr. Clary said everything went exactly as he'd hoped and while Milo still has a LONG road of rehab and recovery in front of him, everything is where it should be right now. The next several weeks are critical, if he is going to re-luxate it will likely be in the next 3 weeks. His front legs are atrophied and really still also, but that's to be expected. Puppies are SOOOO resilient, and Milo is especially resilient, so we are choosing to stay optimistic and hopeful," the rescue posted on Facebook.
If his elbows stay in place for the first three weeks, he has a good chance at walking normally one day.
Hays has not decided yet if Milo will be up for adoption when he recovers.
Surgery and rehab are estimated to cost the rescue more than $4,000.
If you'd like to donate to the rescue, you can visit their Facebook page.
