Our 12-year old lab, LACE.

 In Larry's Blog

IMG_0481WHAT I’VE BEEN UP TO THIS PAST WEEK….

Our 12-year-old lab, LACE, was involved in an accident last weekend. This is why I’ve missed a blog or two recently.

During a gathering in our backyard, a friend accidently ran over her hind leg while she was squatting by the front tire. At the time, and from what I saw, the incident appeared much worse and we feared there would be no chance of recovery. For those of you who are “dog people” or have beloved pets of your own, you know and understand the emotional stress we were going through at this time.

Of course, emergencies almost always happen on a weekend and after-hours. Why is this? After several phone calls, we finally located an emergency vet clinic (30 minutes away), got her stabilized, medicated, leg splinted and wrapped. X-rays revealed she had a complex fracture (fortunately, no internal injuries…hips and back were fine). But a specialist was in order to try and save her leg. That specialist, Dr. Darien Lawrence in Melbourne, graciously, sent us to another specialist, Dr. Dan Lewis in Gainesville at the University of Florida.

Dr. Lewis, UF’s small animal orthopedic surgeon, and his team performed surgery earlier this week. Since there were so many bone fragments involved, an external fixator with 9 pins, wires and external metal braces were used to stabilize the leg. Bone grafts were also taken from each shoulder and implanted in the leg to help speed the healing process. Dr. Lewis was very pleased with this challenging 4 hour surgery.

First day post-op was rough on her but she’s improved every day since. Her handler at UF’s small animal hospital, Hannah, gave her “excellent” marks this morning when she was able to walk (with little assistance) to outside grass. She’s already using the injured leg and adjusting to the change.

Everyone in our backyard that night, has known and loved LACE since she was a pup. We thank you all for your help and support at the scene and since. Many thanks to Dr. Donna Ragona, Cocoa Beach, FL, Dr. Darien Lawrence, Melbourne, FL, and, especially, Dr. Dan Lewis and his highly skilled team at the University of Florida!

She’s a tough ole girl. Audrey and I are humbled every day by her happy disposition, fortitude and unconditional love. And, if we do our part right, it appears she’ll recover fully and be with us a bit longer.

ZONK

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