Email
Two roads diverged…
Driving back home on the side of the highway, she spotted it. She pulled over for a closer look and could hardly believe her eyes. Struck by a car and left for dead, a black Labrador Retriever lay wounded. The guardian angel placed the dog in her car and vowed to stay by the dog’s side. She named her black beauty Claire and took her to the vet. The vet’s examination of Claire was disturbing.
Two roads diverged and merged into one…Claire’s injuries were extensive. The exam revealed a gunshot wound and multiple fractures to her pelvis and femur, and L6 fractures. Multiple surgeries, all costly, were necessary. Claire’s surgeries inclu
ded the insertion of: three right femoral shaft pins, two right knee pins, one right femoral plate, one right calcaneal plate, six right calcaneal screws, one left acetabular plate, four left acetabular screws, and one pelvic cerclage wire.
Through it all, her new mom was determined not to give up on her. She “fell in love,” and “could not give up on her” despite the cost. Claire’s mom worked very hard to raise all of the necessary funds to treat her. Mom’s hard work paid off–donations came in. However, Claire’s treatment was ongoing and costly, depleting the funds quickly. With no funds left, and with rehabilitation needed to complete her recovery process, Labrador Life Line was there to help,
Claire spent several hours in therapy and rehab. Therapy included exercise, water therapy, and range of motion, laser, manual therapy and neuromuscular retraining. Rehab helped with Claire’s limited right stifle range of motion, decreased weight bearing bilateral hind limbs, neuropraxia of her left hock and paw (which caused instability of the hock and knuckling on the hind limb). It also helped with postural changes due to the fractures.
Despite having made remarkable strides on her road to recovery, Claire experienced some setbacks. She broke/ruptured the calcaneal tendon (like our Achilles Heel) in her ankle due to the stress on her. She also had to wear braces and one leg grew faster than the other one.
Two roads diverged and merged into one…and that has made all the difference…
“Claire is my absolute heart and soul and we love her dearly. Couldn’t imagine my life without her.
Thank you so much for all your help and encouragement.” –Claire’s Mom
Not enough Lab? Click HERE to subscribe to Labrador Life Line’s monthly e-newsletter Lab Gab.