Sasha’s Story
Golden Retriever
Age 2 years
Sasha was a healthy and active dog until she escaped from the yard one afternoon and was hit by a car. Although she avoided any life-threatening injuries, she sustained severe injuries to her left elbow called a shearing injury. Upon assessing the injury, Dr. Kramer discovered that part of the bone, ligaments, and muscles that support the elbow were worn away. He recommended surgery to repair the joint and clean the wound.
Sasha’s surgery entailed reconstructing her elbow joint support, thoroughly cleaning and removing devitalized tissue, and reconstructing the large skin defect. To minimize the owner’s costs while ensuring the best possible outcome for Sasha, CVRC donated the operating room and surgical assistants, and Dr. Kramer largely donated his time.
After surgery, Dr. Kramer applied a splint to support Sasha’s unstable joint. Sasha’s owners would need to keep her completely confined for the next six weeks in order to allow her to recover. Two weeks out of surgery, Dr. Kramer felt comfortable removing the splint. Her incision had healed well, and while she had somewhat limited range of motion, Dr. Kramer expects that she will regain good use of the leg in time.