Just like an action movie star, Luca the one year old Sheltie, loves to be the centre of attention. Unfortunately, the loveable hero of our story got a little too adventurous and was hit by a car when he was just a pup. Unlike in action movies, being hit by a car going 40 km/hr is a big deal. Although there was no bleeding, Luca wasn’t able to use his back legs properly, so he was rushed straight to the vet.
After running diagnostics, Dr Megan Collins, one of the SASH Emergency Veterinarians found that he had a fractured pelvis. Fortunately, his organs and other parts of the body were okay, so the next step was orthopaedic surgery to mend the broken bones. Dr Vaughan Moore and Dr Daniel James, a surgery specialist who has years of orthopaedic surgery experience, operated on Luca and placed a metal plate to help the bones heal.
Just like with people, major orthopaedic surgery needs to be followed up with physiotherapy and plenty of rest. Luca became a regular at the SASH Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation department, and saw Allana the Senior Rehab Therapist for physio exercises and hydrotherapy. The therapy helped him make a steady recovery, even though it was very difficult keeping the bouncy pup rested! But surely, with time, Luca is now back to 100%. Although he can’t go through airport security without triggering the metal detector, he can still play with other dogs at the park and show off his energy.
