By Susan Shinn
Salisbury Post
KANNAPOLIS ó One look in those soulful, brown eyes and you can’t help but fall in love.
A lot of folks have fallen in love with Merry the puppy, including the staff of the Cabarrus Emergency Veterinary Clinic. They’ve been caring for the black and tan mixed-breed dog for almost a month.
Merry, only five months old now, in December suffered two broken rear legs, a broken pelvis and collapsed lungs. Her owner Sylvester Conyers, 22, of 723 Rainplace Court, was charged with animal cruelty. A judge found him not guilty in Cabarrus County District Court on Thursday after potential witnesses left court believing the case had been continued to another date and Conyers said a car hit the puppy.
But this dog tale promises to have a happy ending.
After healing from her initial injuries, Merry underwent surgery earlier this week to remove the heads on her rear femurs ó a bilateral femoral head ostectomy.
FHO, as it’s known, is a fairly common surgery for large-breed dogs which have a tendency to have hip problems, such as German shepherds and labs.
Or, the surgery is done when there’s a traumatic injury, as was Merry’s case, according to Dr. Amy Miller, a veterinarian at the clinic.
Merry has at least 11 staples at both hips, plus countless internal stitches that will dissolve on their own. Her black hair is shaved around her hindquarters, and she sports a bright pink bandage on a front paw where her catheter was.
Miller estimates that at 19 pounds, Merry is about 5 to 7 pounds underweight ó which makes a big difference in such a small dog. You can count her ribs.
“She’s so sweet,” Miller said Wednesday evening when she came into work and checked on Merry first thing. “She never cowered. She never tried to bite. But it took two or three days for her to wag her tail.”
The owner relinquished his rights, so surgery to help Merry could proceed.
So much money has poured in that Merry could have the best care available, Miller said.
The FHO surgery was the best option for her. After the femoral heads are removed, the bones and ligaments hold the bones in place, so she’ll be able to walk just fine.
She’s on pain medication and resting comfortably, although she whines quite a bit when visitors are around.
Miller described her as a “vocal” dog.
Plus the pain medication does make her a little loopy, Miller explained.
(And really, who among us hasn’t been a little loopy because of that?)
“She is a love,” Miller said.
While awaiting surgery, Merry stayed with foster owners ó who evidently spoiled her quite a bit.
She’ll remain at the clinic for a few more days. Then staff members will begin the interview process so that Merry can be adopted to a good home.
Many people have given money, while many more have stepped forward to offer to adopt her.
While Miller has seen positive outcome emerge from the situation, she still doesn’t comprehend why it happened.
“It’s such a shame,” she said, stroking Merry’s fur. “It’s hard to understand. Animals require a lot of care. I don’t know why people keep them if they bug them enough that they beat them.”
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Contact Susan Shinn at 704-797-4289 or sshinn@salisburypost.com.