Homeless Dog Hit By Car in Need of Hip Surgery

If he were a plane, as his name may imply, some would say Aero has a broken wing.

Aero, a dog being fostered through the Tri-Boro Animal Welfare Butler Animal Shelter, actually has a broken hip, something shelter volunteers noticed recently as he was not putting weight on his back leg when he walked. Pat Panico, a volunteer at the shelter, said she brought him to the veterinarian for an X-ray and it was determined that he has a hip injury. Suzanne Finelli, another shelter volunteer, said surgery is necessary in providing a quality life to the dog.

"[The veterinarian] believes that when he was on the streets, he most probably had been hit by a car. The injury didn't heal properly such that the leg bone does not sit in or even near the socket and if corrective surgery is not performed, Aero will never be able to walk normally," she said. "In fact, his condition will continue to deteriorate and become increasingly painful."

Aero made his way from Georgia to Butler as volunteers have hoped to find the dog a home. But before that can happen, Panico said his medical needs are a priority. The estimated cost of the surgery is between $2,400 and $3,200, according to Panico.

"This is going to be a financial burden on our shelter but we need to do what we need to do for our animals," she said.

Additionally, Aero will need weeks of physical therapy. Shelter volunteers are hoping to raise the necessary funds, or at least a portion of them, to help cover the costs of the surgery.

"It is unanimously agreed among [volunteers] that Aero is one of the sweetest dogs we have had at the shelter and his is a life worth saving," Finelli said.

Aero will stay at Panico's home immediately following the surgery as she will help him through physical therapy.

Anyone interested in assisting with Aero's surgery can make a donation in his name to Dr. Dawn Garro at the Butler Veterinary Hospital, 417 Main Street, Butler, NJ 07405. Those interested in possibly adopting him afterward should contact Panico at 973-838-3789.