River had surgery performed on her left knee today and everything went very well. Dr. Facey stated that River's left knee was the worst she has ever seen in her nearly 20 years practicing veterinary medicine -- there was no ligament in place at all, and nothing holding the joint together. It is truly remarkable that River had been able to walk at all.

It is now hoped that with both knees repaired, once she heals and her knees become stable River will enjoy much greater mobility and lead a pain-free life! Working on River's left knee today, Dr. Faessen made some modifications to the procedure and is hopeful that with this change he will not need to perform a third surgery to repair the luxating patella. We will reassess in 2 months time once River is healed from this surgery, but we are all hoping for the very best outcome.


X-rays were taken of River's right knee to assess the progress and it is healing very well. Everything looks to be coming along perfectly. River's foster parents have done a phenomenal job of caring for River over the last 7 weeks as she has healed from her first surgery. Caring for a giant breed dog following TPLO surgery is very hard work, and even more difficult when that dog has two unusable knees. Thank you Erica and Andrew for all of your hard work and your dedication to helping River heal. Newf Friends is so fortunate to have such incredible, dedicated foster families like yours.

Thank you also to all of our supporters who helped us reach our fundraising goal so that we could save River. The support from Newf lovers around the globe has been incredible, thank you all! We couldn't have done it without you!

Updates and new photos of River will be posted soon.

Thank you once again to Dr. Kim Facey - Apsley Veterinary Services and Dr. Michael Faessen, Soft Tissue and Orthopaedic Small Animal Surgeon for your exceptional care, your generosity and your commitment to helping animals in need.

Dr. Facey has been instrumental in the care of many of the Newfs who have gone through our program and many of the dogs who have gone through our parent All Breed rescue group HART. Thank you Kim from all of the us!

Dr. Facey has enlisted the assistance of Dr. Faessen for some of the more challenging, delicate or specialized surgeries including surgery for Ella, Mackenzie, Jade and Geordie. Thank you Michael for your support and compassion towards the care of rescued dogs.

Without rescue minded vets like Kim and Michael, as well as our other key veterinarian Dr. Janice Selinger (Bridle Trail Veterinary Clinic) Newf Friends would not be able to make such a tremendous difference in the lives of so many Newfs. Your support is greatly appreciated and we are so fortunate to have you all as part of our team.