Posted on March 25, 2009 by: WayCoolDogs

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(The following is a story direct from the Dumb Friends League–please check out their web for some unique work going on for animals!)

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Kermit the Schnauzer – A Survival Story

Monday mornings are typically pretty tough on everybody. The start of a new week can be a daunting challenge. But when we come across a little fella like Kermit, it puts the stress of a morning commute into a little better perspective.

A little gray 8-year-old schnauzer found himself in a night kennel at the Dumb Friends League on February sixteenth. Emaciated, badly matted and in intense pain from a severely injured and infected rear leg, Kermit was barely able to move. So he nestled himself into the cardboard box in which he was delivered and waited for what would surely be another tough week. Kermit certainly didn’t realize that this particular Monday would be the beginning of not just a new week, but a bright new future led by helping hands and big hearts.

When we gently drew Kermit out of the night kennel that morning, we didn’t know the full extent of the injury to his leg. It wasn’t until our veterinarian anesthetized him and realized the wound included not only a dirty, mineralized infection, but also laceration to the tendon on the back of the foot that was possibly several months old. Kermit would never regain the full use of his leg. Dr. Carolyn Karrh began looking for options.

“You could tell Kermit loved to go for walks, he just had this injury holding him back. It was so heart wrenching,” Dr. Karrh said. “I didn’t want to have to amputate the leg because he still used it for balance. He has such a wonderful personality and I knew he’d make a great pet for someone who understands his needs. I knew I needed to find a way to help Kermit.”

Martin Kaufman is the founder of OrthoPets, a Colorado company that designs and builds orthotics and prosthetics specifically for animals. He crossed paths with Dr. Karrh while both were working at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University. Dr. Karrh called him and he agreed to work on a splint for Kermit pro bono. “The first pet I ever worked on was a schnauzer,” Martin said. “So I immediately had a soft spot in my heart for Kermit and couldn’t wait to help with this case.”

After all the necessary measurements were taken, OrthoPets went to work. Made of hard plastic, foam inserts and Velcro straps, the boot-like splint would again teach Kermit how to use his leg for stability and balance, counteracting his tendency to hike his foot up to his belly and compensate with the other three legs.

Saturday, March 14, was the big day. After nearly a month of care and recovery, Kermit wasready to test out the OrthoPets prosthetic splint. With Dr. Karrh on hand, Martin strapped the splint to Kermit’s otherwise useless leg; then they gently propped him up to see how he stood. He was a little wobbly at first, of course, unsure of his new contraption, but because of its lightweight technology, it didn’t take long before Kermit was testing out the stability of the splint. Within a half hour, Kermit was hobbling along outside gaining more confidence in his new orthopedic device by the minute.

So the next time your week hasn’t started off quite right, and you’re inclined to blame it on a Monday, remember, it was a Monday a long month ago when a little schnauzer found himself in a night kennel too scared and frail to even get out of his cardboard box. But thanks to our medical team and the generosity of Orthopets, Kermit now has nothing holding him back.

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