Jack's Update

Okay - I apologize for slacking off on keeping everyone up to date on Jack's condition over the past week. We've been settling more into a normal routine. We've had soccer practice, homework, shopping, work and caring for Jack - all of this adds up to a lot of time doing and not a lot of time to write about doing everything.

Jack's staples were removed on the 10th. He was examined by the surgeon who was pleased with Jack's recovery. Thank goodness he did not have to endure another surgery , we were very scared that he would have another problem, but this time we were in and out quickly and on our way home, and very happy that we did not have to leave Jack there again.

Jack is recovering very well. His appetite has grown as he has gotten stronger throughout this recovery period. We have spent a lot of time giving Jack attention, plus trying to keep Jill from chewing on everything that isn't nailed down. This whole ordeal has been very rough on her as well.

With all of this going on we also have to ensure that our son leads as close to a normal life as possible during this time. We have also been visited by the local police who have given us their assurance that they are investigating what happened to Jack as well as the man with the b-b gun. We also showed the police where the most recent piece of fence was ripped off, nails left with splinters still fresh and wrapped around their rusted heads. It's quite a mystery how a section of stockade fence could suddenly go completely missing.

I just think that it takes a pretty sick person to do what was done to Jack, and then come back and terrorize us even more. My wife and I are both constantly on edge, waiting for this sicko to come back, I won't be overly melodramatic and say that I fear for my life, but if I didn't say that I was not comfortable leaving my wife and son home alone then I'd be lying.

Well, with that said - We go back up to the vet's office in a bit more than a week for another set of x-rays. We are praying that Jack is allowed to move a bit more and play a little bit. He really wants to be his normal self, but as we have all along we have followed the vet's instructions to a "T" and we keep Jack on all the restrictions detailed.

I said that I'd post some videos and pictures but I have not had a chance to get that done as of yet. Please check back over the next couple of days, as I will get around to posting them and further updates on Jack. We hope and pray that the police catch the man that did this, he deserves to have a criminal record and punitive damages. He deserves to be known for what he is, a despicable coward who would sooner severely injure a harmless Miniature Schnauzer than face me man to man.

Mid-Week Update

We are in back to school mode now This makes it doubly tough with Jack being as limited as he is. He does enjoy his long walks in the morning, and can you blame him? But tomorrow morning is going to be a bit dodgy having to juggle getting ourselves, our son and Jack all ready for the first day of school.

We still have not received any info from our local police, so we're planning on writing a letter to the editor of the local papers and we'll see if we can get some attention, not just for Jack, but for the thousands of other animals that are harmed every day by inhumane people and sickos.

I am sorry that this post is short but since school starts tomorrow, I need to wake up a bit early. Tomorrow night I will post some more recent video of Jack and some pictures of Jill. She's jealous that Jack is getting all the attention.

Thank you again for all your kind and supportive emails -


Good Night

Jack's Update

We've taken a few days off from posting to focus on getting things in order around the house. We have been through so much in the past 3 weeks that we just are burned out and tired and we needed some rest. We are focusing our attention on caring for Jack and trying to give Jill the love she needs too. I've included a pic of Jack from a walk this morning. You can see the wound which is healing well and his shaved parts from the surgery.

There was an interesting development, the section of fence that was used to get in and out of our house was ripped up. A section about 3 feet wide by 3 feet and a portion of the tops of the same pieces were ripped right out of the nails and are completely gone.

We're getting the feeling that we're being stalked, and we don't know why. We have no enemies or have had no altercations with anyone. We are peaceful people that spend lots of time with our family (which include our babies Jack and Jill.)

Jack is getting along as well as can be expected for having two major surgeries within 2 weeks and still has his usual spunk and vigor, though he is more easily startled now when we go on a night time stroll, which was never the case before. He was always very brave and never got scared. The attack must have been so traumatic for him, which makes us very sad.

Again we ask that you pass this story along, please post this link or visit the sponsor links on our sites. No animal should have to endure what Jack has endured. It is an absolute sin. We are speaking out against all forms of cruelty to animals and want to spread the word far and wide.

Jack's Open Wound

Since everything else has been a rocky road we were not surprised when yesterday we ran into another bump in the road. We were both at work and Jack was being watched by a few family members. At about 2 we got a frantic call, Jack had found a way around the new soft cone collar and ripped open 5 stitches and was bleeding pretty badly.

Our family was putting compresses on the wound to keep the bleeding to a minimum and my wife and I ran out of work and rushed home. On the way we called the Langhorne animal hospital again and let them know we were coming. Jack was a trooper as usual, but if he moved the leg he would bleed and we were terrified that we would be in real trouble if we did not get the wound closed up as fast as possible.

We made the drive in about 45 minutes flat, probably breaking some speed-limit restrictions in the course of the trip. But we react just like he's our child, so we did what we would and have done for our son in a similar situation. After a quick triage Jack was taken back.

To our surprise the surgeon that operated on him brought him out to us within 10 minutes. They added additional staples and gave us another collar that was hard plastic (like the one after the first operation) and now he can't reach for his staples at all.

We came home and cleaned up the blood and put Jack in his crate for some well needed resting time. He slept most of the night and should recover well from this small complication.

One thing we've noticed that this time his leg is much straighter and there is no bow in his leg at all. This is due to the new, stronger plates being added which will prevent any bend in the plate and help Jack's femur heal faster and stronger.

I will be posting some pictures from tonight next and tomorrow we'll put up a new video to show how Jack is doing for everyone to see.

We just want to say thank you to everyone that has sent well wishes and their prayers for Jack's recovery. Many people have experienced similar situations with their pets and can understand where we are coming from. We appreciate in sharing in those experiences as they help us learn more about other folks who know what we are going through.

We have also received a number of emails from folks that have lost pets recently. I can only imagine the pain of losing a pet. Everyone has to face that at some point when they take a pet dog or cat into their family. This gives us perspective, it shows us how lucky we are that we were able to save Jack's leg and his life. We will spare no cost to ensure he lives the rest of his life in a fun and healthy way.

Thank you for all of your support -

Jack's return

Today was a very complex day for our family. We drove over an hour to pick up Jack and an hour home, but he is worth it to us. The surgery was very successful but Jack has been left with 28 staples, and some stitches. (Pictures to come) He is now on 2 pain medications and antibiotic and is resting comfortably. He is wearing a new E collar(blue) and is sporting it well! We are all very happy to have him home and he has eaten, he whimpers a lot but we all know what having two surgeries in 2 weeks could do to a person or animal.

Thank you to everyone for your continued support, for reading Jack's story, any and all contributions are appreciated even 1 penny! At a minimum, hope that we catch the awful person that would be rotten enough to hurt a helpless animal.

Continue to check back on Jack's progress and for new pictures from the second surgery.

Late Update on Jack

We got an update from the Vet. Jack's second surgery was performed and was successful in implanting two plates to repair the fracture. There were additional bone fragments removed since the femur was severely shattered.

He is resting well and will come home tomorrow to being his second post op recovery period. Hopefully this time will be successful, free of infection and quick to heal.
It is unfortunate that the second surgery was necessary however, due to the bend in the plate that had originally been installed.

We will bring him home tomorrow to begin all over again.
Keep checking in for updates.
Thank you!

Big Day turned Bad Day

I write now, absolutely sick from what I am about to tell you. Today was supposed to be a big day for us. As I posted yesterday, we were supposed to drive up to the vet for the staple removal and a brief follow up exam to see how things were healing. We had followed the discharge instructions and after care restrictions to a "T." We had done everything right. They took Jack back and we waited anxiously for his return. When the nurse came out with Jack we were so all very happy, we were told we had to have a follow up discussion with the surgeon. The staples had come fine and the outside of the wound was healing just fine. We we all ready to go home and move on to the next stage of Jack's recovery.

However when the vet examined Jack's leg he found that something did not feel quite right. They took Jack back for another set of x-rays to see what was going on with the plate. My wife and I both got a sick feeling. Jack was brought back to us in a few minutes, but we knew something was not right. We anxiously waited for about 15 minutes for the Vet to come back into the room. We both had a feeling that we were about to get bad news.

He showed us the x-rays and started to show us the first x-ray. He explained, in depth, the first procedure that was done. Because of Jack's weight (he's a bit bulky for a mini-schnauzer weighing in at about 28 lbs. whereas the typical mini-schnauzer normally tops out between 15-18 lbs. from what I've read.) The problem comes in with the size of plate and type of fracture that Jack sustained.

There are different size plates, the larger plate would not have been appropriate because the screws would have been too big for the bone, so a smaller plate was used. The smaller plate fit the bone, but the further complication is where the fracture is in relation to the placement of the plate and the screws that secure the plate to the bone. The fracture was so severe that there was no bone where the middle screw would have been installed, hence an inherent weakness in the plate.

Despite all of our efforts to keep Jack within all post surgical restrictions, despite all of our prayers for his recovery, we were told that the plate was bent by Jack's weight. Since the plate is bent and leaving it as is will never give Jack the right chance to recover fully, Jack requires a second surgery to remove the original plate, and replace it with two of the same plate to give it the appropriate strength.

Needless to say we're just sick over this. Please return for further updates. Jack will have surgery today or tomorrow depending on if they can fit him in. Our son is heartbroken, as are we. Jill (Jack's sister) is so out of sorts... Its just a sad story overall...