At four weeks old, Little Reggie was found abandoned at a local church. He was born with a congenital birth defect called Pectus Excavatum, a deformity of the sternum or breast bone that causes an indentation of the chest which can affect the ability of the lungs to expand. Animals with this condition may have problems breathing, as Little Reggie did, even at rest.
Reggie was brought to HAH when he was about 8 weeks old and Dr. Bibevski evaluated him for surgery. The unique procedure that Little Reggie required involved attaching a special splint to Reggie's sternum (chest) bones that would be monitored and adjusted over a period of months to correct the deformity.
The cost of this procedure is typically between $1000-$1600 and the folks that found him put in lots of time raising funds for the procedure. Additionally, Therapaws, a company that produces and sells assistive and rehabilitation products for pets donated the special splint needed for Little Reggie's success.
The surgery was performed two weeks ago. "As his bones continue to mature and harden, we expect that his chest will remain in the new position held by the splint. Reggie will wear this splint for the next 2 months as we recheck his progress with x-rays." -Dr. Bibevski.
The HAH is so happy to be a part of this story and grateful for all the folks that came together to make this a very happy ending.
For more pictures and video of the progress of this success story , visit the news feed at
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