Sunday 3 December 2017

Pet of the month hall of fame - Frankie ( October)

Meet 12 year old Frankie!






This gorgeous boy is our brave pet of the month after overcoming injuries sustained from being hit by a car back in July.



When Frankie was rushed into the hospital it was clear that he had suffered a nasty injury to his head. Vet Katie carried out an initial assessment of his injuries - his jaw was fractured and his left eye had come out if its socket(prolapsed). He was in shock and pain so he was given some pain relief and intravenous fluid therapy to make him comfortable and help him recover from the shock. The following day Frankie was less distressed and we were able to assess him further. An x-ray was taken of his chest and abdomen to check that he hadn't suffered any internal injuries. Although he had improved a little, his neurological signs from the head trauma were unstable which meant he was not yet fit enough for a general anaesthetic and surgery to treat his injuries.


We continued to provide supportive treatment, he was such a brave boy and let the nurses syringe feed him. Four days after he was admitted to the hospital, Frankie's condition had improved further;  vet Louise carried out an operation to remove his damaged eye (enucleation) and stabilise the fracture to his lower jaw (mandible). This was achieved by using a stainless steel wire to align the jaw and hold it in place.
Frankie had also suffered some nerve damage to his right eye which meant that his eye reflexes were impaired. The nerves to his left front leg were damaged too which resulted in some loss of leg movement. Depending on the level of damage, the nerves can sometimes recover and function be restored.

After recovering well from the anaesthetic, Frankie was feeling a much happier boy. It was important to encourage him to eat so we tempted him with a selection of soft foods along with some cuddles. We felt that he would feel even happier at home with his creature comforts and  TLC from his owner so Frankie was allowed home. He came back in for a check up two days later and Louise was concerned that he was not eating as well as she'd expect. 

Looking at his jaw Louise could see that there had been some movement of the fracture site and Frankie was uncomfortable, so he was admitted to the hospital for further assessment under a general anaesthetic; the wire had loosened causing the fracture site to misalign.

Louise repositioned his jaw and tightened the wire. Following the procedure, Frankie was a sleepy boy so he spent a night in hospital. The following morning he was bright and comfortable and managed  to lap some food by himself! - Frankie was able to go home.

From this point on-wards, Frankie has continued to get better. He's had a few trips to see us so that we can assess his progress.  He is eating well and the nerve damage to his eye and his leg have improved. Overall he is enjoying life again!

Frankie has certainly been through the mill and we are so pleased that this gorgeous, friendly boy is well on the road to recovery.




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