Peggy Is Back
/Peggy was recently returned to us to be rehomed. Stated reason is she has storm phobia that has become unmanageable. More importantly, she presented with a non-union fracture of her left ulna, the top of it, basically, her elbow.
Our vet, Dr. David Carpenter, x-rayed the leg and concurred the fracture had not healed properly. Since the original injury in mid-March, it had not been splinted nor was surgery performed to correct the fracture. And because she was not putting weight on the leg, this caused contracture of the wrist.
So, she hobbled on three legs every now and then putting a toe on the hurt leg on the ground. Surgery was recommended with the probability of Peggy eventually gaining full use of her leg, wrist and foot.
Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Alan Cross, of Veterinary Specialists of Greater Atlanta was recommended to us by Dr. Carpenter. An appointment was made and surgery was performed on Wednesday, May 28th. She did well and I was able to pick her up that afternoon. I failed to get a picture of her with her bandage which reached from the top of her leg to the top of her toes.
Luckily, it was removed after about five days. The surgeon suggested I remove it after three days but it wasn’t until Monday after her surgery that I was able to do it. I began removing it but ended up taking her to our vet for assistance when I got to the actual incision. There seemed to be quite a bit of dried blood on the bandages and I was concerned I’d bust the sutures removing the bandages. They were happy to help.
The incision looks good, the swelling is minimal, and the redness is subsiding. Next step is suture removal which will occur next Wednesday. Then we start the rehab process. Ideally she should be walking with minimal discomfort in four more weeks.
She is a great patient, who has not complained at all, not even once. Her prognosis is excellent.