A CONCERNED dog owner from Rugby who feared her beloved greyhound would lose a leg following a freak accident has thanked the vets who helped her pet to walk and run again.
Zoë Spencer-Caunce experienced every dog-owner’s nightmare when she witnessed greyhound Sophie suffer a serious fracture to her rear right leg while racing other dogs around the park.
But she has praised the vets who got her up and running after an operation.
Zoë said she immediately realised the extent of the injury when Sophie, nine, let out a massive yelp.
Zoë said: “She ran down a little dip then stopped quickly while turning at the same time.
“My neighbour was standing right by her and said he heard something crack, and thought she’d broken her leg.
“Sophie wasn’t able to put any weight on her damaged leg and when I felt down to check her over something didn’t feel right.”
After a check-up at the local vets, Sophie was transferred to West Midlands Veterinary Referrals (WMR) in Burton on Trent for surgery, where vet Marcin Rogalski explained the leg might need to be amputated in the worst-case scenario.
Marcin said it was a challenging case with a variety of associated risks.
He said: “We realised there were several greyhound-specific complications which might be encountered as we tried to successfully repair the fracture.”
He decided the best approach was to insert two metal plates – and the operation went well.
“Sophie was medicated and monitored closely for complications overnight. The following day her skin colour had improved, the swelling reduced and her pulse was good so we were happy to discharge her and allow her to go home.”
Zoë added: “I cannot say ‘thank you’ enough for such good care, attention to detail and communication.
“I was very worried Sophie would lose her leg or have other ongoing issues, but Sophie came through well and has made a great recovery. She’s practically the same now as she was before the injury.”
