Adonis was taken in by
OCR after he was found wandering the streets of the lower mainland
with a broken femur (the thigh bone of the back leg). His broken
leg was completely non functional and he walked only on three legs.
His fur was covered in mats and he weighed only 42 lbs.
Adonis was cared for by OCR for several months until
the organization found a physiotherapist (Maria) with a love of
dogs. She agreed to work with OCR and Adonis to seek the best surgical
options available and, subsequent to any surgical treatment, to
do his post surgical rehabilitation. Maria brought him home for
fostering and searched for an orthopedic vet who could provide an
opinion as to whether his leg could be saved, or whether amputation
would be the only option.
After having Adonis examined at Animal Critical Care
in Vancouver, the surgeon stated that she would not know if she
could save the leg until the time of surgery. This was because the
fracture appeared on X-Ray to be 1 to 2 years old. In addition,
there was no union of the bones – confirming that this poor
boy had been hobbling around for over one year with this broken
leg.
On the day of surgery, all concerned were fully aware
that amputation of the leg was quite possibly the most medically
advisable outcome. Maria was in the waiting room for 3 hours, anxiously
waiting for a report from the OR. After an hour, the vet assistant
reported that the leg could be saved, but due to severe shortening
of the soft tissues, it was unlikely that he would ever walk normally.
After some consideration, Maria made the decision to go ahead with
the procedure to unite the 2 sections of the femur, rather than
amputate the leg.
Following the completion of surgery, the Dr had a
discussion with Maria – it was restated that Adonis would
likely walk without any bend of his knee, resulting in a ‘peg
legged’ gait pattern. This was because the soft tissues around
his knee had shortened significantly. It would be a challenge to
regain flexibility of these tissues without damaging the surgical
repair.
The surgical procedure involved reuniting the two
ends of the femur and then applying a six inch plate and nine screws
to hold the fracture in place. The rest of the work to regain the
function of his leg would be up to the physiotherapist.
Maria applied her prior experience in working
with humans to Adonis’s rehabilitation. His rehab required
daily massage to his incision, and progressive exercises to regain
the bend of his knee. A number of physical exercises were developed
to strengthen the muscles required to support his reconstructed
leg. With the help of friends, family and neighbors, he received
a considerable amount of rehabilitation time and effort. This was
a six month process. Against some considerable odds, and with the
knowledge that the soft tissues (specifically ligaments and tendons)
could fail at any time, Adonis eventually regained full knee flexion
(full knee bending), walked without a limp, and could run with his
other collie buddies. The only apparent difference between the two
legs was a slight limp when he was running vigorously – and
this was only noticeable to those with a ‘trained eye’.
Adonis (who is now Donny) has been in his ‘forever
home’ since the day of his surgery – this was the day
Maria and her husband decided he belonged with them. Maria often
receives comments about what a great job she did with him, and her
reply is always: ‘Donny has given me one hundred times what
I could ever have given to him’.
Donny has been with Maria for 2 ½ years
now, shows absolutely no signs of the neglect he must have suffered
from in his earlier life, and still runs through the forest, goes
on long walks, and loves to play with his friends, some of them
canine, and others not……
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