Planned Pethood Plus is probably one of the most generous animal clinics out there. Dr. Jeff is passionate about helping animals, even if it means doing free treatment from time to time. One day a dog named Peppermint was brought the clinic by a rescuer.
The dog was limping, but the rescuer had no idea why. Peppermint was rescued on the streets with a rope tied around her leg. The injury might be related to her condition when she was found.
Dr. Jeff checked if there were any apparent abnormalities on the dog’s leg. The vet noticed that one of Peppermint’s legs seems to be too stiff. The vet suspects that there might be a fracture. The dog was put under sedation before going under an x-ray.
The x-ray result showed a very concerning image. The bone fractures were old, and scar tissues have already formed. Dr. Jeff knows it’s not an easy task. Regardless, he never backs down from this type of challenge.
If the operation doesn’t go well, amputation is an option. However, Dr. Jeff believes that fixing the leg is a better option, and it also increases the chances for Peppermint to get adopted. He first sketched on a whiteboard that shows how he plans to approach the surgery.
The plan is to put an internal pin through the broken bone and place two wires around it. Since Peppermint is a small dog, that’s the most number of wires Dr. Jeff can add. After that, he’s going to add external pins attached to an external bar acting as a cast.
Dr. Jeff had trouble penetrating through the thick scar tissues. Fortunately, the bones were in good alignment. All the doctor had to do was insert the pins in the right position.
After drilling the pins and stitching Peppermint’s leg, Dr. Jeff wants to check his work through an x-ray. He found a slight misplacement. The external pins were not digging deep enough. He had to go back and work for several hours more, but eventually, the surgery was a success.
By the time Peppermint’s leg has completely healed, there was already a family that wanted to adopt her. It was a large family with lots of children. Dr. Jeff saved another pup once again.
Video courtesy of Animal Planet via YouTube.