Meet Lucky!

September 7, 2014

Lucky 1

Lucky is an approximately 7 year old Yorkie mix that was brought to the Humane Society and Shelter SouthCoast as a stray in May 2014.

 

She is an extremely sweet dog and wanted nothing more than to wag her tail and give kisses! There were, however, some obstacles she had to overcome before she could be placed up for adoption. Her entire body was matted. You’d think this would be an easy fix, but her matte’s were so severe that the Humane Society could not groom her and instead had to bring her to Chase Farm Veterinary Hospital for care.

When we met her, she was so happy and just wanted to show us affection even though her matte’s were so severe that they covered her entire body.

 

From her head, to her toes, to the tip of her tail was covered in dread locks that were painful when we tried to touch them. Her initial physical exam was normal so the decision was made to sedate her in order to remove the matts and determine what, if any, damage had been done to her body underneath. Unfortunately, poor little Lucky was so painful that the sedation wasn’t enough. She had to be put under general anesthesia to finish clipping her. Even under anesthesia, the matte’s were a challenge to remove but after an hour, she was freed of the weight of the hair and could be evaluated for further injuries.

Although we were hopeful that there wouldn’t be any, that was not the case. Lucky’s matte’s were so tight that they cut into the back of a front leg and caused an infection. They also cut off circulation to the tip of her tail and caused it to die which in turn, exposed the bone. The matte’s on a hind leg were so tight that they caused her to suffer a tendon injury. This injury caused her to walk on her hock (ankle).

In the weeks that followed, Lucky went through bandage changes, laser treatments and was given medications to help her heal.

She was fortunate enough to have the wounds on her front leg and tail completely heal! However, the injury to her rear leg and tendon remained. There were a few options to deal with the injury and it was decided that the best would be amputation to avoid sores developing on her hock. Lucky also had dental disease that needed addressing and had not previously been spayed. So, after recovering, she was given the A-OK to have surgery! This was an exciting time for everyone that had been involved in her care because it was the final step in getting her ready to find her forever home!

In July, Lucky was spayed, had her diseased teeth extracted and her hind leg amputated.

 

Lucky 2After surgery, she recovered at Chase Farm Veterinary Hospital for a week before she was given the final OK to go to a new home. Lucky was fortunate enough to find someone willing to take her into a loving home and in the beginning of August, left the Humane Society! Without the help of Chase Farm Veterinary Hospital’s team donating their time and covering the cost of her care, her recovery and happy ending would not have been possible. As a hospital, it gives us a great sense of pride to be in position to help the homeless animals in our communities.

Check out Lucky on Facebook!

Want to know more about Lucky? Please comment below! The wonderful staff at Chase Farm Veterinary Hospital would be happy to answer all of your questions about Lucky, and the rehabilitation options available to your pet.

Posted in General

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *