|
July Pet of
the Month
Back to Pet of the Month
Congratulations
to Abigail, our July Pet of the Month! Abigail is a 6 month old Boxer puppy; she is a lively girl with lots of love and energy. At the beginning of May she presented to us
after having run away from her owners for a short time. She was limping and not acting like her usual
happy self. Her parents wondered if she
might have been hit by a car. A fracture
was suspected, and confirmed with x-rays. Her parents at that time were unable to afford the care required and
referral to the University of Missouri was not an option; faced with the
dilemma of euthanizing her, a very caring individual offered to foster adopt
her and cover the costs of her care. Abby's original parents cared very much for her welfare, and as
difficult as it was, they turned ownership over to the individual.
The immediate
task was to start treatment. Abby was
whisked into surgery to stabilize the fracture. This surgery required placement of a stainless steel pin down the center
of her thigh bone called an intramedullary or I.M. pin. She did really well after surgery, but one
morning moved just wrong and the pin started rubbing on her sciatic nerve. She was taken back into surgery and the I.M.
pin was replaced and attached to an external fixator to provide additional
stabilization. This involved 2 pins
placed through her leg perpendicular to her thigh bone. The pins were then connected to each other
and to the long I.M. pin.
What followed was 6 weeks of pain medication, antibiotics, an E  collar, and crate confinement (which is hard
enough for any dog, let alone an energetic puppy!). Abby also required daily cleanings at the
site of the pin entry to prevent a bone infection. She spent quite a bit of time here at the clinic. Without a doubt Abby won the hearts of all
the staff members at Rock Bridge Animal Hospital!
As the weeks wore
on and Abby's physical healing continued, the next task became obvious; it was
time to find her a new home! Advertisements were set up on different media indicating she was in need
of a loving home, one where her healing could continue unabated. Several interviews occurred, and after a
period of time, the perfect new family was found. They understood that her care would be a
little different than that of most newly adopted puppies, given that she still
had a pin and external fixator in place. She needed to be in a home environment to stimulate her emotional and
spiritual growth. Dr. Forbes offered to
be in contact with Abby's new veterinarian,  assuring that she would be getting
continued excellent care.
As hard as it was
to say goodbye, we are exceedingly happy that Abigail has a new, loving
family. She continues to make progress
and promises to make a full recovery. Our congratulations to Abigail for a spectacular recovery, and to her
new parents, for adopting a sweet, lively puppy!
|
Processing ....