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Two shelter dogs in need of amputations Kara Erwen of the Jackson County Animal Shelter in Talent takes Lily out for some fresh air Thursday afternoon. Lily is in need of surgery or amputation of her left back leg. [Mail Tribune / Andy Atkinson] Thursday Sep 21, 2017 at 5:52 PM Sep 21, 2017 at 6:08 PM Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune TALENT — A pair of dogs soon to boast only six furry limbs between them are in need of community donations to help ensure their long-term health and adoptions. The Jackson County Animal Shelter took in the dogs, which are just under a year old, from separate locations, but both had suffered injuries to their rear left leg. Despite their injuries, both dogs have sweet dispositions, passed all temperament tests and have been “very adoptable,” according to animal shelter staff. Lily, a brown heeler mix with big brown eyes and pointy ears, seems to have suffered from an untreated break that healed improperly. Shelter workers noticed she was unable to put weight on the leg, and a local veterinarian said Lily had two options: complicated — and expensive — surgery with limited likelihood for success, or amputation. Champ, a black, flat-coat retriever with a wide grin, was found with a “mangled,” infected leg, though how he was injured is unknown. Shelter Manager Barbara Talbert said it's unusual to have two dogs at the same time in need of amputation, though the shelter does arrange amputation surgeries once or twice in any given year. “It was just kind of a fluke thing. We do maybe like one or two a year, but two at the same time is quite unusual,” Talbert said. “Lily was abandoned and left with someone’s roommate, and the roommate finally had to bring the dog to us. Lily and Champ are both very young dogs, so that factored into our decision to have the surgeries.” Talbert said the shelter had waited the required 72 hours for owners to step forward and claim the animals and/or provide for the medical expenses. With Champ’s leg in more dire condition, a local veterinarian agreed to expedite his surgery Wednesday. Both dogs, she noted, will need foster families willing to provide extra care. “We were planning to do our fundraising effort. As of now, Lily hasn’t had her surgery. Champ, even though we were planning to wait, the vet was feeling that his leg was getting more infected and he decided we needed to go ahead and do the surgery (Wednesday),” said Talbert. “The leg needed to come off as soon as possible to give him the best chance for a quick recovery." Surgery for each dog is expected to cost more than $900. With only a third of the shelter operations budget funded by Jackson County, Talbert said the shelter is at the mercy of community help to make ends meet. “We depend very heavily on donations. I think one of the things people don’t realize is that the county only provides 30 percent of our budget. The rest is made up through license fees and donations,” Talbert said. “Without donations, we couldn’t help the number of animals that come in with large medical costs. We wouldn’t be able to help dogs like Champ and Lily.” For information on the fundraiser or to donate for the shelter medical fund, see www.fotas.org. Shoes can be donated at the county shelter, 5595 S. Pacific Highway, in Phoenix, or at Pet Country or Nature’s Pet stores. The shelter gets paid for every bag of shoes it collects. — Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. Email her at [email protected].