Featured Pet - Pud!

Working dog Pud was going about his normal daily routine being top cattle chaser on his owners dairy farm on a cloudy Wednesday in March this year. Unfortunately for Pud this day was to become much more eventful than usual when a wild kick from a rogue dairy cow struck him forcefully on his right front leg.

Immediately he was in a lot of pain and Pud’s owners immediately suspected he had broken his leg. He was taken straight to Tatura vets where Dr Phil confirmed the diagnosis. Xrays showed two fractured bones in Pud’s forearm- the radius and ulna. The news wasn’t all bad however- unlike most dogs which are unlucky enough to break legs, both of Pud’s bones were still in good alignment.

Dr Phil went on to recommend that a metal plate be inserted into Pud’s leg to stabilize the fractured bone. For any animal this is major surgery but Pud also had the added obstacle of being 18 years young (although you wouldn’t know it to look at him). Pud’s owner had no hesitation in giving us the go ahead to undertake the surgery so it must be said he is a very lucky dog.

Due to his age, extra special care was taken with Pud’s anaesthetic and surgery. In just under two hours Phil and Steph inserted an 8 hole stainless steel plate and screws onto Pud’s radius. The surgery went without a hitch and Pud had an uneventful recovery.

Pud is going so well that only a few days later it is hard to tell which leg was broken in the first place! He still has some work left ahead of him and the biggest challenge for Pud may be the need to keep quiet for the next 6-8 weeks while the fracture heals!

We will follow Pud’s progress with much interest.

 

 

 

Previous Pets