The beautiful 8 year old Staffy suffered on the 1st of April a Road Traffic accident.
Despite trauma and shock he found his way back home to his Mum, who noticed the injury immediately and therefore rushed him straight away to our veterinary practice to be checked by one of our veterinary surgeons.
Poor Lenny was under shock and very overwhelmed, presenting a bouncing pulse and severely panting. Whilst examining him, significant abrasion injuries to his right hind were discovered. As he was not stable enough to risk sedation or a general anaesthetic at the time. He received pain relief wound care and was hospitalised over night for supportive treatment to stabilise him.
The next day our veterinary surgeons assessed him and found him stable enough to undergo a general anaesthetic to x-ray him for possible internal injuries. We took x-rays of his chest, abdomen, hind limbs and pelvis. The x-rays revealed that his left lung was bruised due to chest trauma, however luckily no other injuries or fractures could be found.
Whilst under anaesthesia we were able to examine the full extent of the injuries without putting Lenny under stress. Around his hind leg various abrasion wounds could be found, which were debrided and again cleaned. Two deeper wounds were sutured and a protective bandage was applied.
That was fantastic news for Lenny, as he was able to go home and recover under Mums care. He only needed to come to visit us regularly for short checkups with our veterinary surgeons and nurses. These visits allowed us to monitor his healing process closely. Due to swelling and larger open areas, a long and delicate healing process was to be expected.
At the beginning Lenny was quite nervous to come to us, but later on he enjoyed his short visits and the extra cuddles + belly rubs from the nurse team.
However the healing process was not going as expected, as the wounds were healing very slowly and some areas, despite all possible measures, were not healing at all. The veterinary team and the owner came to the decision to amputate his leg, which would be the best choice for Lenny, as for the last 2weeks he visited every 48 hours for a check up and a very uncomfortable bandage change despite pain relief.
Our veterinary surgeon Sally amputated the leg and Lenny was monitored closely over night after his procedure to watch his recovery and to ensure he was comfortable and pain free.
Lenny the super star had a fantastic recovery and even surprised the nurses with his strong will, as even on the same day of the procedure he was up and dragging us through the garden enjoying the lovely fresh air and he did not even to need a big adjusting phase despite missing one hind leg. Therefore he was able again so soon after to go back home.
Lenny came bouncing in for his last postoperative checks and I am happy to confirm that one month after his road traffic accident he is officially back to his normal mischievous self and does not need to return for any further rechecks. We will miss his regular visits and the extra cuddle sessions with him.
