A Dublin couple are seeking to raise €8,000 needed for life-saving surgery for their six month old dog Rambo.
The XL Bully pup has been diagnosed with a condition called Arthrogryposis, which has caused his front two legs to be knuckled over the full way, preventing him from walking.
Rambo has been battling this condition since birth and it was first noticed when his littermates began to walk.
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Nathan Rogers and Saoirse Conlon took Rambo in to save him from being euthanised at six weeks old and immediately began working on fixing his paws to help him walk.
They described Rambo as the "friendliest dog" and even though he weighs at 35kg now he is still afraid of their 7kg dog Lola.
Saoirse spoke to Dublin Live about the long journey of vet visits and misdiagnoses that Rambo has faced over the past few months.
"He is so placid and friendly and he just wants to walk. He tries so hard to get around by himself but falls over or slips. He’s been through hell and back and he’s not even a year old," she said.
"When he was six weeks old I brought him to a vet and they told me that he had Rickets and to put him down, that it was a very severe case and they won't be able to fix him.
"Something felt wrong though so we ignored that vet and went on for a second opinion.
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"We took him to a second vet, and they wanted him back a few days later because they were unsure about what was wrong with him.
"When we took him back, they diagnosed him with Carpal Laxity Syndrome. They said it would cure itself after a few weeks and it wasn't severe."
The vet told them to do physio exercises and splinting with Rambo and change his diet to Royal Canine food, which Saoirse and Nathan did for the next few months.
At 4 and a half months Rambo was referred to an orthopaedics specialist in a different vet, who assured the couple that was just a case of Carpal Laxity and they could continue with the treatment plan.
The couple returned to the specialist twice more and discussed surgical options, but were told that at six months old Rambo was too young to have any surgery done and they should hold off for a few more months.
Saoirse said: "At this stage we were frustrated with his treatment. Nothing was improving and he was only growing in size which was making it a lot harder for us to get him around.
"A few weeks passed and I heard about Veterinary Specialists Ireland, a private referral only hospital for dogs in Meath. After consideration we decided to book in for a consultation with them , for a 3rd opinion on Rambo, because we knew something wasn’t adding up."
Saoirse said it only took 20 minutes for the surgeon at Veterinary Specialists Ireland to realise Rambo has a very rare neurological condition called Arthrogryposis.
"It’s a condition that he will have for life and sadly he will never function cognitively like a normal dog", Saoirse said.
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There are options to treat the condition with surgery, by opening the joint in his wrists and cutting them so they are straightened and then solidifying the joints with pins and bolts.
Saoirse said the surgery is "costing €3000 per leg and €1000 per leg for CT scans and plan work ups, so €8000 in total plus aftercare so Rambo can walk one day."
She said: "He is part of our family and there is no way we could take the easy route and put him down.
"As Rambo was born with this condition, he is not covered under any insurance policy. We have tried so many but at this stage we know it will have to be paid by us.
"We have already paid over €1500 on vet visits, consultations, splinting, x-rays, bandaging, physiotherapy and medication.
"We’re going to pay as much as we can but we could really use the help. We would be so happy with any amount towards the surgery even €1 makes the difference.
The couple hope that all going well, Rambo will be able to take his first steps by Christmas.
You can make a donation to Rambo's fundraiser here and keep up with his journey on TikTok @rambopaws.
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