A diamond is polished, brilliant in color, and almost sassy with personality. Diamond Dane is no exception. A sweet girl, Diamond loves big old head rubs. She loves to make the nearest person her favorite leaning post. And she loves children and other dogs. A year-old Great Dane, Diamond’s owners surrendered her after receiving the news that she had severe hip dysplasia.

That’s when CODA, Cleveland Ohio Dog Advocates rescue group, arrived on the scene. They were asked to take Diamond into their care, and they found a foster home for her.

A veterinary examination confirmed hip dysplasia in both hips, plus arthritis in the hip pockets. Diamond would need femoral socket surgery to ease her pain and give her the best quality of life possible.

Time was working against Diamond. Her right hip was deteriorating fast. To be successful, the surgery needed to be done before any more damage set in. To prepare for that life-changing day, her foster family created a regimen. Daily walks to build the muscles in her legs, a glucosamine supplement to ease the arthritic pain, a lean diet, and an eight-inch thick orthopedic bed.

Diamond responded beautifully to all the love shown her. But she must have known the surgery was at hand. She shredded her very expensive orthopedic bedding the night before!

The surgery itself was a success, even though the vet found far more arthritic damage than he had originally suspected. When Rose, Diamond’s foster mom, came to pick her up, she started wagging her tail even though she was in tremendous pain.

And Rose’s devotion to her charge was unwavering. She slept next to Diamond when she brought her home, turning the Great Dane every few hours to prevent the development of bed sores. Rose also applied ice packs to the incision area during the first 48 hours of Diamond’s recovery, alternating the ice with heat for the next 48 hours.

So far, so good. Total recovery time for the young Dane could be as much as six months. But with Rose and her family at the helm, no doubt Diamond will sail through her recovery.

CODA sent out a plea to help cover the cost of Diamond’s new life. That’s when The Mosby Foundation answered the call. We contributed to Diamond’s fresh new start. How could we not? Just look at her face! She looks like a kid at Christmas.

How could anyone resist a heart so full of love?
We certainly couldn’t.