History from No Paw Left Behind about Patches, an injured rescue from Dogs and Cats of Antigua

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ABOUT PATCHES

Patches was injured one week before Irma. He was in Antigua. He was found on the side of the road, unable to use either hind leg. He stayed in a foster in Antigua for the storm, who ended up holding on to him, until he came he came to our rescue Friday before last. He now uses the right leg to walk, and even hop a long at a good pace. He is painful, when it's nearing time to have his pain meds again. Even under sedation, he was very painful and they had a hard time fully manipulating that left leg (which shows in the xrays). Xrays showed fractures to his pelvis (which are healing) and a complete shattering of the femoral head on the left leg. 

Since he's been with me, he has gotten xrays, eval by Dr. Wong (neurology specialist to check on his leg), pain meds, wound tx for the wound on top of foot (It's looking much better now). He is about 7 months old, and 41lbs. HW-, up to date on vaccines, and fully dewormed. He is an absolute joy, he loves other dogs and is good with my daughter (4yrs). He is a bit shy when he first meets people and is in new situations, but quickly overcomes that shyness. He is food motivated, crate trained, and for the most part has no accidents in the house. 

HISTORY

November 13, 2017
Patches met and was assessed by Dr. Loser at the Animal Recreation and Rehabilitation Center in Davie. He received his first acupuncture and laser treatment, and has an at home therapy plan for the days between therapy. 
 

November 8, 2017

Patches had a consultation with Dr. Holtsinger, who has recommended with see Dr. Loser to discuss possible physical therapy to help the nerves in the injured leg. She feels that future orthopedic surgery may help, but first we would need to make sure the leg will be able to function - specifically, if we can rebuild the muscle and nerve control of the lower part of the leg and foot. 

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October 17, 2017

 

The recommendations from our vet, Dr. Thieme at Seiler, is to amputate. My concern with removing the leg, is the damage to his pelvis. If we can, through an FHO, reduce the pain and increase the function of the left leg, I think it's best to explore options to salvage the leg, so we are going to consult with an orthopedic specialist.  

 

 

October 13, 2017

While he does not correct the foot, I do see him using the leg. Dr Wong evaluated the nerve function and he does has feeling and nerve function in the foot, despite the failure to correctly land on the paw. He thinks he is so painful that he has become used to not using the foot. When he gets his pain meds, for a few hours, he does use it to balance on, so I definitely agree. He will even try to play bow with my dogs. 

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October 10, 2017

We are still waiting to hear from the specialists, but please keep sharing the stories of Patches and Island girl. Both of them will need surgery, we are just waiting to see if the legs can be saved. 

 

Patches is feeling much more playful now that he has some good pain management on board! We will be posting video soon :)

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October 8, 2017

Our amazing agreed to meet our two new rescues from Antigua on Sunday morning first thing, to help us begin to process of diagnosis. Both pups are already adjusting to their new foster homes, loving all the attention, and Patches even got to have his first “puppichino” from Starbucks .

 

Patches was painful during his initial exam, so we had him sedated to get better xrays. Even with sedation and an analgesic on board, he was still notable painful when the vet was trying to straighten his legs. His situation is very complex. He has several fractures in the pelvis, and the femoral head was completely broken off. Since these fractures are several weeks old, some of the bone fragments have begun to fuse in the ball socket of the pelvis, creating an impossibly painful situation. One option is to go in surgically, clean up the bone fragments, smooth off the end of the femur, and create a false joint (not unlike what we were able to do for Dexter’s years old hip injury). What is complicating the situation for Patches is that he also suffered nerve damage due to these injuries. Initial exams yesterday show that he has deep nerve response in the outer part of his foot, but seems to have complete nerve damage on the inner part of the foot. What results is that he has partial control over movement in the leg, but then the foot does not land properly when he steps. He has damaged the skin on the top of the toes, and the bandages are helping that heal – but this is not a permanent solution since the damage would be recurring. We have reached out to Dr. Wong at Southeast Veterinary Neurology to consult with him. If there is a solution for the nerve damage, then we feel that there will be an orthopedic solution for the femoral head repair.