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STILLWATER, Okla. – A hound puppy that had a rough start to life is now getting the treatment he needs thanks to veterinarians at Oklahoma State University.

Milo was just 5-weeks-old when he was surrendered to the animal rescue organization, Oliver and Friends Farm Sanctuary. Veterinarians knew something had to be done when they noticed that Milo’s front paws were turned upside down.

“We evaluated Milo with our state-of-the-art CT scanner and identified his problem to be congenital dislocation of both elbows,” said Dr. Erik Clary, associate professor of small animal surgery. “With both elbows out of joint, Milo was unable to walk. Try as he may, the best he could do was an inefficient and seemingly uncomfortable ‘army crawl.’”

Clary said Milo’s condition is very rare and very debilitating.

Milo underwent corrective surgery earlier this month at Oklahoma State University’s Veterinary Medical Hospital.

“Milo’s surgery was complicated,” said Clary. “For each of his elbows, we had to go into the joint and restore the alignment. Then we placed a pin across the joint to keep it straight while his growing bones continue to take shape and his body lays down the internal scar tissue that will be needed for long-term stability. All in all, Milo was under anesthesia for about 3 to 3 ½ hours.”

For now, Milo is in a front body splint to prevent him from using his front legs. In about three weeks, veterinarians will remove the split and take out pins from Milo’s legs. After that, he will begin intensive rehabilitation therapy.

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