EDMONTON -- A 9-month old puppy is getting a second chance, after undergoing not one, but two life-saving surgeries. Now, he’s looking for a forever home.
Less than two weeks ago, Panko couldn't walk. He was hit by a car on a rural road outside of Edmonton.
“He was in pretty rough shape when he got here. He was quite painful, he was in shock, so our ER department stabilized him,” said Kristy Roskey, a veterinary technologist and founder of Misfits of Alberta Animal Rescue.
Panko is now in the care of the rescue. With help from the Pulse Veterinary Specialists and Emergency Clinic in Sherwood Park, Panko had surgery to repair the broken femur he suffered when he was hit. But after a few days in the ICU, staff discovered another problem.
“Panko developed a little bit of pain after two or three days and so we made the decision to do a CT scan on his spine,” said veterinary radiologist Dr. Lukas Kawalilak.
Kawalilak then used technology to create a 3D model of the dog's spine to come up with the best course of action.
“He was able to see exactly where the fracture was, exactly where he wanted to place his stabilizing pins and cement and that’s a huge help for the surgeon before he goes into his surgery,” he said.
“The next day he was pretty much up and walking so it was definitely the right decision,” Roskey said.
A week later, Panko is doing really well.
“I don’t anticipate him having many more problems from this,” Kawalilak said.
Panko is now ready to be released from the clinic but it'll be a couple of months yet before he's ready for adoption.
“They’ll have to be careful for probably the first couple of months even into the adoption phase just to make sure they’re restricting him and doing the proper medical care until he’s fully healed,” Roskey said.
