For more info on Cyrus, check out this
story on ABC News.
!!UPDATE!! June 21, 2007: Today was Cyrus's big day. Earlier this afternoon our brave little man underwent surgery to repair his jaw. To everyone's surprise the surgery went much better than expected! The fabulous Dr. Charlier informed us that his jawbone fractures are healing very well, and that there was no evidence of "non-union", meaning that there was no looseness to his jaw - which was a huge relief to us all. After taking quite a few new x-rays, it was decided that his jaw actually looked okay, and the lower section of his jaw would NOT have to be removed as originally planned. Instead, they went in and removed both of his lower canines, the upper right canine, and three premolars (1 up, 2 lower). There was also a small abscess under his chin that was of concern (thinking it was from
one of his shattered rotten teeth or jaw). However, the abscess wasn't from his tooth, as originally thought, but was actually an open lesion in his mouth! Once the doctor was able to get in his mouth and really take a look around and irrigated it well, out flowed a little piece of bone! Apparently, when the first operations were done, there were so many
little pieces of shattered jaw bone, that that one slipped through. Like a splinter, his body was trying to push it out - but obviously it had nowhere to go and in turn was becoming infected.
While the surgery was very long and trying for our poor little dude, the fact that he does NOT have to have part of his lower jaw removed is
absolultely incredible news! Now Cyrus can finally start his road to recovery and to a happy, healthy, pain-free life. His mouth has finally been cleaned up, his rotten, crushed teeth have been removed, no lower jaw removal is needed - which means this kid can now have a fresh, clean start.
NLOL Chicago feels very blessed to have found such a great specialist in Dr. Charlier. We would have not been this lucky if it were not for the amazing support we received. The money we were able to raise for Cyrus's costly surgery allowed us to give him the best care available. We appreciate everyone's efforts to help give Cyrus a second chance at a
great life!
Photo history of Cyrus's saga:
First meeting at ACC pre-transfer
A little bit scared of us at ACC
In the car on the way from ACC to NLOL
Posing on the lawn at our vet's office
Cyrus with his guardian angel Dr. Charlier
So happy to be pain-free and on the road to recovery at last!
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Cyrus is a special boy who was brought into Animal Care and Control in the second week of January with a completely shattered lower jaw. To ACC veterinary staff, it appeared that someone had clubbed him repeatedly with a baseball bat or similar blunt item, and poor Cyrus was left with a badly broken mouth. Luckily, ACC was able to save this special boy by performing five surgeries on his face! When we first met him in early March, we knew that he was a special dog and we're delighted that we've now been able to transfer him to NLOL.
While his face will permanently bear the scars of his past, Cyrus's personality has survived intact. He is a little bit shy around new people - but watch out when he knows you! He loves to jump into our volunteer's laps and give them big Boxer leans and wiggles. Cyrus likes to give kisses, but he's not always successful due to the orientation of his jaw. We love that although his face isn't what you'd expect from a typical pup, his personality and his zest for life are exactly what we're looking for in our dogs. He is great on a leash with men or women, and has met some kids and enjoyed all the extra attention!
If you are interested in meeting or adopting Cyrus, please contact us today!
