Kazoo's Story

Kazoo is one of those dogs that often gets over looked in the shelter. His pictures weren't great -- he was scared of the camera. He isn't a golden retriever or a cute scruffy dog. But, he is very special -- and the folks at the Franklin County shelter knew it!

Lucky Dog received a desperate email from Franklin County about Kazoo. One of the shelter workers had spent some time with him. Though he was scared at first, he warmed up quickly with a treat and a small amount of affection. It turns out he was starving in more ways than one!

Kazoo was literally an hour away from being put to sleep. His time was up, and Lucky Dog was his only hope. So, trusting the word of our shelter partner, we agreed to bring Kazoo to DC. He arrived on a Saturday and happily went to his foster home. It was there a bit of a limp was noticed.

After observing him the first night, Kazoo's foster realized he was definitely in pain. His limp was growing more pronounced. So, off he went to see Dr. Smith at Hayfield Animal Hospital. The news was encouraging . . . yet staggering at the same time. Kazoo has what is called a "luxating patella." That means the patella is unstable and doesnt sit in its groove. Although the condition is totally fixable, the fix requires surgery!!

The very next day, Kazoo went to see Dr. Norton, a surgeon at Southpaws Veterinary Specialists & Emergency Center. Dr. Norton confirmed the diagnosis. Kazoo was in need of surgery. Although Kazoo was not facing an emergency situation, Dr Norton agreed that doing surgery sooner rather than later would help ease Kazoo's pain. He had an opening the following day, and Kazoo was scheduled!