STATESVILLE, NC.....Sweet Pepe is a 6-year-old Cairn Terrier Mix that was surrendered to Animal Control by his Owners. He had been hit by a car a week before and had not received medical care. This sweet pup was in unbelievable pain. He had a fractured femur, multiple pelvis fractures, and fractured pubic bone. I am all too familiar with this kind of breaks and the pain that is caused. A lot of Pelvic Fractures cannot be repaired. They require strict cage rest to allow the area to heal. I decided we were it for this little dog. He should not be put down because the Owner did not get him treated. I had him taken to Carolina Veterinary Specialists in Matthews, NC.
Pepe was admitted to the Emergency Care Services because he was emaciated when he arrived. We had to do a thorough evaluation to see if he was even a candidate for surgery. His blood values were all over the place because of parasites, and the fact he had not been treated since the accident. We had to wait before Dr. Michelle Nanfelt could do his surgery and determine what could be done about his fractured pelvis. His femur fracture we knew we could plate but not until he was stable.
Dr. Nanfelt was finally able to work on this adorable pup and boy were we glad. He had been in so much pain for so long that he was getting snippy and did not want anyone to fool around with him. In the hospital, there was no shortage of people that wanted to love on Pepe when they did his meds and bloodwork, and he was not happy about it. His pain level was still very high even though he had been medicated. They did not want to knock him out but to keep him comfortable. The surgery was made more complicated by the fact the wound had time to form scar tissue. All of the new scar tissue had to be removed since the femur was not aligned.
Pepe did well during his procedures. His leg was plated, and Dr. Nanfelt did not feel he needed to be on strict cage rest for his pelvis fractures but needed to be on controlled leash walks. It took several days for Pepe is realize his leg had been repaired. He was still in protective mode if anyone got near him for fear they would cause him more pain. As far as an animal is concerned, they can't figure out what is causing the pain so anyone near them must be the one causing it.
Pepe's pain level had gone down significantly, and his sweet disposition is finally coming out, He is a wonderful dog that will make a great addition to any household once he has healed. Please, DONATE whatever you can so we can help more dogs like Pepe get the Medical Care they need to live a Normal Life. Thanks for caring.
