Injured Legends
"Please scroll down to see the work we do on injured working dogs. (WARNING - GRAPHIC IMAGES). Unfortunately farm accidents aren't confined to just the humans who work the land. Their four-legged-mates working along side them everyday are exposed to the same dangers. Farmers do everything possible to prevent injury to their valuable working dogs, but these little mates love what they do and attack every situation with enthusiasm and commitment. OH & S is the last thing on their minds. So when things go wrong we have the great privilege of doing everything we can to get them back doing what they love as soon as nature allows." Dr Vicki Dunstan
"Tim" Moody
"Tim" appears in quite a few pages throughout our website thanks to Jesse kindly lending us his great photos. We met "Tim" October 2013 when he misjudged and sustained a devastating hind foot injury (ABOVE). He was still recovering from his foot reconstruction when a month late he "misjudged" again and ruptured the ligaments in his tarsometatarsal joint on the opposite hind leg (BELOW). Our part was now to fuse the joint and put in place a bone plate for stability during healing. Jesse's job was to keep him quiet at home while this took place! (We had the easier job I think!).
We spoke to Jesse recently (August 2014) and he said he "had put a shoe on his foot for awhile until the scar tissue was tough enough that Tim didn't go sore anymore, but he hasn't been wearing the boot for a while now. Hock (other leg) is solid and doesn't cause him any problems. He has been back to 100% work since about late May/early June. Not pulling up sore now."
We spoke to Jesse recently (August 2014) and he said he "had put a shoe on his foot for awhile until the scar tissue was tough enough that Tim didn't go sore anymore, but he hasn't been wearing the boot for a while now. Hock (other leg) is solid and doesn't cause him any problems. He has been back to 100% work since about late May/early June. Not pulling up sore now."
"Snickers" Colgan
"Snickers" was brought in for surgery after she suffered a nasty degloving injury to the underneath surface of her right front paw. It came together nicely and 8 weeks later we spoke to her owner. She had healed well and had alreaady been back at work for a few weeks.
"Sasha" from NSW.
"Sasha's" owner kindly emailed us the last 2 photos when their usual vet took the stitches out at 14 days post-surgery.
"Wally" Winten
When "Wally" Winton fractured his radius and ulnar a few days before the 2010 floods, he had more to deal with than just his surgery. Maintaining the sterility of orthopaedic wounds is crucial during and after surgery, however just a few days after "Wally's" surgery he was evacuated in fairly urgent circumstance in very wet and muddy conditions in the back of a MSC truck. You can just see him in the third photo in the middle cage on the back of the truck. Miraculously the ordeal didn't set him back and he healed well.
"Molly" Rodman
Many of our orthopaedic charges are "capped", meaning that what we quote for the initial surgery is the total sum that you will pay all-up, including plate removal or treatment of complications that may occur during the healing process (provided the recommended home care has been followed). Sometimes this leaves us out of pocket, but orthopaedic and reconstructive surgery is one of the most rewarding aspects of our work, and by offering "capped" fees on some cases it allows us to work on devastating fractures like this one "Molly" suffered. As with all complicated cases we offer referral to specialists in Brisbane, but the distance and significantly higher costs are, more often than not, prohibitive.
"Molly" suffered a set back when some of the wires and screws became loose and she became very sore a few months after surgery. We always caution owners that a re-occurence of pain after the fracture has healed is a good indication that the hardware has become loose and should be removed. This was the case for "Molly" and she is now doing well.
"Molly" suffered a set back when some of the wires and screws became loose and she became very sore a few months after surgery. We always caution owners that a re-occurence of pain after the fracture has healed is a good indication that the hardware has become loose and should be removed. This was the case for "Molly" and she is now doing well.
"George"
Some of our more spectacular working dog wounds involve lower limb injuries from motorbike accidents. In "George's" case, at a glance it may seem the damage is too extensive to allow reconstruction (1st & 2nd Photos) without specialist skin grafting. However, "George's" owners had him at the clinic within a few hours of the accident, and we were able to save his foot. The wound was still fresh enough to allow careful suturing of the remaining skin to effectively reduce one large wound to several smaller ones to facilitate healing(Photos 3 & 4). We are not sure if the pieces went back where they were, but they did go back where they were needed!
The last two photos were taken 24 days after the initial injury.
We phoned "George's" owners two and a half months after his injury. They reported that he had healed nicely and was back at work (depending on what mood he is in!!). The day we spoke they said "he holds it up sometime after a big day but this is improving. He was out working all morning and was fine when he came in at lunch".
The last two photos were taken 24 days after the initial injury.
We phoned "George's" owners two and a half months after his injury. They reported that he had healed nicely and was back at work (depending on what mood he is in!!). The day we spoke they said "he holds it up sometime after a big day but this is improving. He was out working all morning and was fine when he came in at lunch".