Joey’s big break

As autumn seems to be on the verge of appearing, September 11th is on my mind. Not for the obvious reason but because on this day last year Joey got his big break. Not in snooker or on the stage, but his left hind.

In a squirrel related incident during a walk he didn’t even want to go on, Joey managed quite a mangled open fracture. This left me with an incapacitated hound in the graveyard opposite my house.

I went into “nurse mode” and remained calm (well, in shock mainly) and called:

1. the vets – and gave a rather too in-depth description of the fracture site, type and prognosis (apologies to the reception team)
2. my neighbours – so they could hold Joey while I got my car (even in this state the thrill of seeing a second squirrel could still get him running again)

Blood, sweat and tears

By the time my neighbours arrived we were quite the picture – Joey sitting with one leg at a weird angle and me covered in blood that was seeping onto the grass around the nearest grave.

Thankfully my neighbours were absolutely amazing and waited with Joey while I got my tiny Smart car – not an ideal ambulance for a hound, but needs must.

In shock, but driving very slowly and carefully, I eventually arrived at the vets, who were amazing – and who continued to be throughout the whole process, because the break wasn’t Joey’s only hurdle…

Apparently, while at the vets, Joey decided to read a book entitled What Can Go Wrong Post-Orthopaedic Surgery, and has obviously planned to achieve every single option.

12 months later…

Amazingly, almost a year on, Joey still has four legs. That said, in the past year we have visited the vet on average every 48 hours – mainly planned, but sometimes not, as it would seem that iodine-impregnated dressings are just too tasty for a boy to ignore.

However, I have my favourite parking space in the car park, and reception staff are now used to me napping on the waiting room sofa as Joey gets his dressings changed.

Team effort

This has been a genuine full team effort. Every member of the practice has been involved in Joey keeping all four legs. There have been tears and stress and it has not been easy, but I am forever grateful for two things:

• that I am a client of a wonderful vet clinic that helped and supported me and Joey
• that I am part of a profession that can provide such amazing levels of care and compassion

Although I really didn’t need Joey to break his leg to make me realise this, I wanted a profession-wide acknowledgment that we are amazing people doing great things to support pets and their owners… even if they turn up in tears and covered in blood.