And here is Cooper's story . . .

December, 2004: In December, 2004 we were notified that a local shelter had an injured Sheltie. He had also been shaved (a very poor job we might add) and was heartworm positive. The shelter vet speculated that he had been attacked by another dog or dogs. He had wounds on his back, neck, shoulder, and one eye. We picked him up from the shelter as soon as he could be released!

Cooper's official shelter picture	Just after the shelter vet sedated him to look at the injuries	The day we got him from the shelter

Cooper is a big boy for a Sheltie. He is 19" tall and about 40 pounds and as sweet as they come! His tail wagged in constant motion! He tolerated his foster mom dressing him up for the holidays . . .

New Years's	Valentine's	St. Patrick's Day	Easter	4th of July

January, 2005: Cooper's injuries healed and he was treated for heartworms. He had stiffness and had been limping when we got him, but we thought that might be due to being attacked. When it didn't get better, we took x-rays and discovered proliferative bilateral osteoarthritis, most likely due to severe elbow dysplasia. His was so severe that he would have to be on significant pain medication for the rest of his life.

March, 2005: We discovered that some vet schools were doing Total Elbow Replacement surgery. After some research and discussions with several vets, we signed up to be in a clinical trial at the University of Missouri. In the meantime, we started raising funds for the surgeries (both elbows were affected). Along with a successful yard sale, many wonderful people donated to help pay for Cooper's surgeries:

September, 2005: Cooper (finally) started growing hair, and his upcoming surgery has been postponed several times. To free up a regular foster home (to take in more Shelties), a plea was put out to find Cooper a new foster home. Jay and Suzy of Southaven, Mississippi stepped forward and are taking wonderful care of this special boy!

January, 2006: Cooper and his 'entourage' (Jay, Suzy, and Kim) travelled to Columbia, Missouri for the long awaited surgery. Dr. Cook and his staff were wonderful and we were all set and excited for the surgery scheduled for the 26th. We started a special 'blog' for Cooper's surgery to document the details, etc. It is no longer updated, but you can read it at: www.cooperthesuperdog.blogspot.com There are some great pictures on there, also. The blog has messages dated from January 24th to February 25th. The implant surgery went very well, but unfortunatley 5 days later the implant subluxated (shifted) and we were all very disappointed. Instead of taking a chance on trying to repair the implant and it not working a second time, we opted to remove the implant and fuse the joint (arthrodesis).

February, 2006: The second surgery went well, and Cooper was able to come home from the University of Missouri sooner than expected (on Jay's birthday!).

Cooper with Dr. Cook	Cooper with Rebekah	The day after his first surgery - 1/27/06

March, 2006: After returning home, he has been such a trooper with all the restrictions and bandage changes! Follow up x-rays in late March showed the bone is bridging and well on it's way to a good fusion.

Cooper - April, 2006. Compare to . . .	. . . Cooper in December, 2004!	Oh yeah, that's the spot!

May, 2006: Jay, Suzy, and Cooper came to the Fresh Start Sheltie Rescue picnic. Other than him not using the leg as much as we would like, he seemed to enjoy himself!

June, 2006: We had an appointment with Dr. Terry Dew, a local orthopedic specialist, on June 27th. We discussed what had already been done and what needs to be done to help Cooper. Since Cooper continues to not use the leg as much as he should, Dr. Dew advised not to make ANY plans for the other elbow until he is using the left leg better. He said there was a possibility that there could be an infection that might be causing enough pain for him to favor the leg. He put him on an antibiotic to see if that would help.

What a handsome boy! (June 2006)	Love my purple duck!	Cooper with Dr. Dew

December, 2006: Cooper had his annual vaccinations a couple of weeks ago. The vet detected a possible heart problem. To be thorough, we had to bring him back for a more detailed E.K.G. The results were that it was basically normal, but it did show some indications that Cooper might be in more pain than we thought. We were going to see Dr. Dew again in February, but we have moved up that appointment to next week on January 3rd.

January, 2007: Cooper started going to physical therapy at Med Vet. They have an awesome underwater treadmill, plus he gets ultrasound and a massage. He loves going since they give him treats! Cooper loves treats!

Cooper doing 'his thang' on the underwater treadmill	"I can definitely handle this!"

April, 2007: Cooper continues to go to his physical therapy sessions, now on an every other week basis. His PT Vet Dr. Lisa Miller is pleased with his progress.

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