A pleasant dog walk in the local park in September turned into a nightmare series of events for gorgeous 8-month-old Labrador puppy Murphy and his owner. Keen to meet up with his playmate Murphy ran from the park and ran across a busy road heading to Ruby’s house. He was struck by a car that didn’t stop and he left badly injured at the side of the road.
A passing motorist rushed Murphy and his owner to Ipswich Veterinary Centre where staff immediately realised he was critically injured and needed specialist treatment, so with a veterinary nurse in attendance they brought them to our critical care department (ECC) as an emergency. His owner said “I was in shock and disbelief, finding it unbearable to see Murphy in such pain. I left him that night not expecting to see him alive again such were the extent of his injuries. All I could do was hope and pray that he would survive the ordeal.”
Murphy had a CT scan which confirmed the suspected fracture of his leg, some bruising of his lungs, a pneumothorax and fluid in his abdomen. It is lucky he came to us as it was a truly multidisciplinary approach of our teams as he was cared for by vets and nurses in our ECC, diagnostic imaging, anaesthesia and orthopaedic departments.
Joy Fenner, a residency trained surgeon in our orthopaedic team, repaired and pinned the fracture under general anaesthetic. Over the next couple of days his condition stabilised.
His family were utterly relieved. His owner said “We were overjoyed when he was allowed home. My girls welcomed him back complete with newly shaved body and neck collar which he hated. The next couple of months were a challenge trying to keep a boisterous dog effectively firstly on bed rest then on low impact exercise, but we all survived – just! The fact that Murphy is now almost back to normal apart from his scars is testament to the care and compassion he received at DWR Veterinary Specialists and Ipswich Veterinary Centre. I would like to thank both centres for everything they did to save Murphy and reunite him with his relieved family.”
When he came back recently for his re-check, the x-rays showed healing of the fracture, Murphy made an excellent recovery with just a scar to show for his terrifying experience.
