Santa Cruz, Galapagos
One Thursday evening around 7pm, a couple came into the clinic with their dog. He had been hit by a car approximately 20 minutes before coming into the clinic. He had some deep wounds in his leg, and after an examination by volunteers Dr. Roxanne and Dr. Bianca, the Doctors realized that the leg was broken. As the team informed the owners, they became very distressed, and began to cry. Sacha needed to further explain that it was possible that they might need to amputate the leg, and that even if they did not have to straight away, then it would rely very heavily on the couple’s consistency in returning to the clinic for check-ups. Sacha sat with the couple and tried to comfort them, explaining that the Doctors would do whatever was possible to save the leg, but that if they needed to remove it, a dog could still happily lead a life on three legs.
The Doctors took Lucky into the clinic to examine her closely. She had been panting, and they needed to make sure that she was stable after the incident. On further examination of the leg, they still could not be sure that they would be able to save it; the wounds were quite excessive, and the break seemed quite severe. The owners had agreed for the Doctors to do whatever was possible to save the leg, so the team anaesthetized Lucky to begin cleaning the wounds and seeing if it would be possible to cast Lucky’s leg.
As the surgery began, Dr. Roxanne realized that the break was worse than expected; Lucky’s leg would have to be amputated.
Dr. Daphne called the family as Dr. Roxanne and Dr. Bianca begun the amputation surgery. The family was upset that Lucky would have to lose his leg. Thankfully, Mayra stepped in and continued the conversation with the couple so that they were well informed and comfortable with what was going on.
At about midnight, the team had finally finished the long and difficult surgery. The amputation was a great success, and Lucky was well on his way to recovery. The Doctors would continue to monitor the pup’s progress to ensure that the healing process continues well. Check back in with us to see how Lucky is going!
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