October 9th, 2012 – Miles recovery journey & he is READY FOR ADOPTION!
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Miles saw Dr. Jaffe on July 19, 2012 for a follow-up and a correctional surgery on his radius/ulna so that the bones will be the same length and will straighten out. He was in splints for a short period of time and he needed some physical therapy. Miles saw Dr. Jaffe again on August 9, 2012 for a follow-up and although it was determined that his right arm healed completely, his left arm was not good.
His elbow joint had no cartilage left and the joint was in bad shape. Dr. Jaffe consulted with his counterparts Drs Menarski (board certified surgeon) and Keith (board certified radiologist) and all three concurred that the elbow was in horrible shape, that long term Miles would have huge problems with this leg and that the limb should be amputated to improve his quality of life and prevent future problems. Attempting to fix this joint again would just be a short term, temporary band-aid and since he’s a young pup he would heal quickly. As such, Dr. Jaffe amputated the right leg so that Miles would be pain free and would continue to live a happy life, play, swim and be the happy boy we know he is.
Miles with co-founder and Executive Director, Michele Elek
Thank you ALL for your support, love and prayers for this special boy. He has come such a long way, and through your generosity and financial support we were able to offer him the best medical care with board certified specialists, and everything possible was done to save this leg – so we’d like to thank Drs Jaffe, Menarski and Keith for their care and compassion in Miles’ case as well. In the end, Miles will still be Miles, he does not have the psychological problems we humans have when we lose a limb. He will just know that he feels good and has no pain, no problems and that life is good!
Post-surgery, Miles’ foster family continued with his physical therapy in the pool. A client of Dr. Eva’s who works for Hanger Clinic – Prosthetics, heard about Miles and knew they would want to try to help. So, on September 18, 2012, Miles had a big & exciting day! Miles went to meet the nice folks at Hanger at their W. Southern location in Mesa, AZ to see if he would benefit from having a prosthetic leg. They examined him, made a body mold, and will try to come up with some ideas for a leg that will bring his body some relief when he goes on walks.
The folks at Hanger have so much compassion for Miles and he kissed everyone in the exam room with gratitude. The Florida office of Hanger came up with the idea for the prosthetic tail for Winter the dolphin whose story inspired the movie “Dolphin Tale”, so if anyone can figure out a plan to help Miles it is Hanger! We cannot thank them enough!
Now that Miles is completely healed, he is ready to be adopted! To be eligible to adopt Miles, fill out an Adoption Application on the Foster/Adoption page. PAWS will review all completed adoption applications and then contact prospective adopters for meetings and interviews to ensure the best possible match is found for Miles to have a loving and permanent home. His adoption fee is $400.00.
Miles had a successful surgery on May 10.
Dr. Jaffe says Miles did great and the surgery went perfectly! He’s going to need some physical therapy and possibly one minor procedure in the future . The radiologist Dr. Keith commented on the x-ray “that is one messed up elbow.” Dr. Jaffe was able to fix it. The minor procedure may have to be done in about 6 to 7 months from now after we re-x-ray him. The fracture came together extremely well there were no plates or screws placed just a pin and a tension band allowing the bone to grow. There was a lot of scar tissue in the area that needs to be loosened and so we will start physical therapy in two to three days with range of motion exercises. A bone graft was placed to promote fusion and bone growth. Overall Dr. Jaffe was extremely happy with the outcome. Miles will be hospitalized until Saturday at VCA ARECA. We are most grateful to all the donations that made this possible as well as everyone who is an was involved with Miles’ success story.
From the bottom of our hearts thank you and God bless.
Miles Story:
Miles’s story has turned from a heart breaking tragedy into a miracle. On May 8th, we asked for the public’s help and received so much support from all Valley media outlets. Thanks to the incredible outpouring of our community to help this little boy, his story will have a happy ending and he now has the second chance that he so deserves. We at PAWSaz have been helping animals in similar situations by reaching out to the special needs cases, the medically needy and other animals who just need the same second chance that Miles is getting. We strive to help many more animals like Miles!
Our goal is to build a much needed permanent animal sanctuary in the East Valley, where we can provide a safe haven for animals at risk of unnecessary euthanasia, provide medical care for animals at risk and improve animal rights by increasing community awareness of animal welfare issues. As such, we are looking for at least 5 acres on which to build the following:
- A cage free intake area to use as a temporary location in urgent situations for animals at risk of homelessness or euthanasia but are still adoptable. They can live here until we can find their new permanent home.
- A designated area for the permanent residents who will live out their lives at the sanctuary in open housing areas (structure for seniors, structure for those with handicaps, structure for cats, etc).
- A medical clinic where we can provide low or no cost veterinary services to animal owners who cannot afford vet care and would otherwise need to surrender their animal to the pound or elsewhere. For those who are unable to pay, we will have a “pay it forward” program where they can instead volunteer time at the sanctuary.
- A classroom for community animal welfare education.
Because we are a 501(c)(3) charity dependent on donations, we would like to have consistent revenue streams which we could generate income from, such as an onsite café & thrift store, by offering equine assisted therapy sessions (Dr. Eva is certified through EAGALA), and depending on the size of the property, by offering public horse boarding, public dog training classes to name just a few.
Miles History:
Miles, a pit bull puppy, was 8 or 9 weeks old when he arrived at a local animal hospital on March 22, 2012. He was screaming in pain in the waiting room where he sat with a home-made splint consisting of a coat hanger and gauze. The puppy was in such serious pain that the doctor rushed to the waiting room and immediately administered pain killers and a sedative.
The breeder/owner, later identified as Lyman Kenneth Morkunas and arrested by Maricopa County Sheriff’s Animal Crimes unit detectives on May 4, 2012 (MCSO Booking# P865172), had attempted to repair the lacerations with a needle and thread and GLUE (imagine that pain – not to mention that they were not sterile, of course, and creating more infection). Miles was in such bad shape when he was brought to the animal hospital that after the initial examination, euthanasia was considered. During the course of the examination, the attending doctor and technicians decided to give him a chance and contacted us at PAWS to see if we would take him under our wings.
Miles was immediately placed on IV fluids and IV antibiotics.
Radiographs revealed multiple, serious and severe fractures. Miles had a fracture in his right forearm, involving both the radius and ulna. This fracture has since been stabilized with a splint and looks like it’s going to heal in the next few weeks.
Miles’ left arm had multiple fractures – compound, not only were the radius and ulna fractured, but also the elbow was in pieces and sticking out of the skin – and was infected. Luckily, with daily bandage changes, the wound has healed and closed over, but the fracture in the elbow will require specialized surgery with a board certified surgeon and will not heal with a splint alone. We are hoping to raise the necessary funds for him so we can save this leg (the only other option will be amputation). The surgery to save his leg will cost $5,000.
All lacerations and punctures have healed. Miles is striving in his foster home, where he lives with two Chihuahuas, a Bichon and several other pit bulls and cats. Miles is now the happiest little camper and will hopefully be available for adoption soon.
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