One day, Daisy Duke, a sweet 8 year old Golden, came back limping after running off leash at the park.
Her owner remembers: “I carried her all the way from the field up to the car.”
The search for answers begins…
The next day, “her family vet put her on pain medications for 3 weeks.
During this time, I was carrying her up and down the stairs and out to the yard so she could go to the bathroom.
After 3 weeks, it was apparent she wasn’t getting any better.
X-rays were taken.
“The radiologist concluded that she had a fracture and recommended we see an orthopedic surgeon. So we were about 3 weeks into her injury and still no real answers.”
“We made an appointment with another vet to evaluate Daisy That vet essentially said it was beyond his level of expertise, didn’t think surgery was the answer, gave us a different pain medication and recommended laser light treatment for her leg. Once again, we were without any answers.”
“Feeling terrible for the length of time our dog was in discomfort, we scheduled an appointment with another animal hospital in NJ to get her evaluated. This time, we were told that our dog had a fracture in her ankle and required surgery to repair it. Now that we had some direction we wanted not just a second opinion but to find someone we truly trusted. I started researching and that is when I found LRVSS.“
“We were honestly losing hope that she’d ever walk normally again.”
Daisy Duke’s Actual Diagnosis
In reality, Daisy Duke didn’t have a fracture, but a dislocation of her ankle (technically, a tibio-tarsal luxation), which prevented her from putting weight on the leg.
Her very dedicated owner traveled an hour from New Jersey to have the surgery done at LRVSS.
Daisy Duke’s Surgery: an Arthrodesis
The best way to address this devastating injury is to partially fuse the ankle (a surgery called an arthrodesis).
Daisy Duke’s owner comments: “When we came for the consultation at LRVSS, that is when everything changed for us. We wanted to find a surgeon with both expertise and compassion. We found that in Dr Zeltzman. After evaluating Daisy, Dr. Zeltzman gave me a precise diagnosis of what was going on, showed me a clear X-ray, and explained the issue in detail as to what needed to be done. Although the thought of Daisy having surgery was scary, knowing the details of what was to be done and why gave us real peace of mind. In addition, when the nurse came out to get her, Daisy happily went inside the facility wagging her tail. Dogs are super effective at reading people/situations and she must have sensed a safe space.”
After she was placed under general anesthesia, Daisy Duke was moved to the OR.
Dr. Baia performed the arthrodesis by using a plate and 7 screws.
A bone graft was used to speed up healing.
To protect the repair, a splint was applied.
Daisy Duke recovered smoothly from anesthesia and stayed in ICU overnight on IV fluids, antibiotics and pain medications.
At home, Daisy Duke would then need strict rest and weekly bandage changes for 2 months.
One of the big risks of a splint is pressure sores, due to insufficient padding, which is why we change bandages weekly.
After 2 months of diligent care by her owner, a final check up showed that her skin looked great, and she was walking well on the leg.
Her X-rays showed that the ankle was healed enough to slowly start to increase her activity level over the following month.
How did Daisy Duke do Postop?
Her owner comments: “Daisy is doing great! She’s back to taking walks. We’ve been increasing the distance slightly every week. She goes up and down the stairs and has tons of energy. When she walks, you’d never know anything happened to her leg. It’s amazing. She just celebrated her 9th birthday!”
Her owner writes: “We cannot say enough wonderful things about LRVSS. (…) The entire experience, from the first consultation through surgery and after care was exceptional. (…)
The staff was equally incredible. Every interaction felt warm, professional, and genuinely caring.
The level of care my dog received was above and beyond anything I could have hoped for.
From the consultation through rehab and beyond, the communication was fantastic. We could reach out at any time with questions and always got clear, helpful answers. This was the best decision we made for our dog. We followed Dr. Zeltzman’s step by step instructions for care to the letter and our dog is almost at the point where she was before her injury. I just wish I’d brought her in sooner to have her evaluated.
I’m extremely grateful and couldn’t be happier with the entire experience at Lehigh Regional. Thank you LRVSS!!!”
If you would like to learn how we can help your pet with safe surgery and anesthesia, please contact us through www.LRVSS.com
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Phil Zeltzman, DVM, DACVS, CVJ, Fear Free Certified
Pete Baia, DVM, MS, DACVS