Five-month-old Gizzy broke two legs in a road traffic accident.
A puppy left with two broken legs after a road traffic accident is on the mend, thanks to a life-saving operation by the RSPCA.
Five-month-old Gizzy, a staffie-cross, was rescued by RSPCA inspector Jess Pierce in September. Gizzy’s owner was unable to afford her treatment and no longer wanted to keep her.
Jess rushed Gizzy to RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Hospital for treatment, where she underwent a five-hour operation to pin together broken bones in two of her legs.
Veterinary surgeon Christine Pye and her team carried out the painstaking procedure, inserting metal rods and plates into Gizzy’s legs to enable the bones to fuse together.
Christine said it was the first time she had carried out the surgery on two legs, adding: “It was a complex operation but without it Gizzy would not have been able to walk and this bouncy five-month-old pup with whole life ahead of her needed to be able to be saved so we were determined to give her the best possible chance of a normal life.”
Following her treatment, Gizzy spent 10 days recovering in hospital until X-rays revealed that her surgery was a success. She was then taken into foster care by animal care assistant Anne Mitchell and is growing stronger every day.
Anne said: “Having fostered dogs previously with broken legs I knew what was involved and how long the rehabilitation would be so of course I was happy to help and she came home with me at the beginning of October. I knew she would have great difficulty walking and we would need to gently build this up and support her confidence building.
“We have started a course of hydrotherapy which she took in her stride and it is helping get her movement back in her legs and strengthening them.”
Image (C) RSPCA.
The Federation of Independent Veterinary practices (FIVP) has announced a third season of its podcast, Practice Matters.
