Willow, the Italian Greyhound-Boston Terrier cross born into rescue 9 months ago, jumped too far and broke her leg — a right radius/ulna fracture.
She was immediately taken to an urgent care vet which doped her up and repositioned the break and splinted her. The associated canine sports veterinary then plated her leg the next day, using a 2.0mm locking T-plate and 6 screws. The vet said surgery went very well, and her recovery from anesthesia was routine, and post-operative pain meds were well tolerated. Post-operative x-rays (they call them “radiographs” now) revealed “excellent fracture reduction, anatomic alignment, and appropriate implant positioning”.
So all good, aside from the savaging to my veterinary savings account, and eight weeks of confinement for Willow.
For the record, these kinds of fractures are very common with Italian Greyhounds. Apparently about a third of all IGs break a leg, almost always a front leg (as here) in a young jumping dog. In short, the breed is morphologically defective (we could talk about teeth here as well), but I was hoping the Boston Terrier cross would help. Apparently, not enough.
The American Working Terriers book is what’s funded my veterinary account and the various donations I’ve made to canine rescues. The account is now down to a few hundred dollars, so if anyone wants to buy or give away a book on American Working Terriers, my two (currently healthy) wee wolves would be very much obliged. >> To Order.
Picture of Willow and I before the leg break. I look not amused, but she’s working hard to change that. A good little dog.
1 comment:
I'll buy a copy and leave a review. I was going to last year, but the link wasn't working or something then I forgot about it.
I've had 4 Iggies in my life. "Only" one broken leg and one broken tail...so far. *knock on wood* I can hear your wallet crying from here.
You are right about their teeth. They are like plaque magnets! I think part of the problem is that their muzzles are so narrow. Their tiniest front teeth are usually the first to go. Or maybe it's genetic, I don't know.
What really pisses me off is when people compare them to having a pet cat. THEY ARE NOTHING LIKE CATS. They are a high maintenance dog breed. After the current two die I don't want any more. My huskies are easier to deal with.
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