Labrador receives life-saving op by Hampshire animal hospital after catastrophic road accident
A beloved family dog has received life-changing treatment after a leading team of vets performed emergency surgery to rebuild her abdomen, femur and hip in numerous complex and difficult operations.
Millie, a beautiful one-year-old black labrador, sustained severe injuries after running into a busy road near to her home.
Owner Luke immediately rushed Millie to their local Farnham vet, and after some initial stabilisation Millie was transferred to Lumbry Park in Alton, a Specialist referral hospital, where its team of Emergency and Critical Care Specialists feared she would not survive the night as her condition was so grave. She was in severe pain, was unable to walk, had breathing difficulties and her heart was beating abnormally.
Millie was immediately stabilised with oxygen therapy along with intra-venous fluids to treat shock, and pain-relief. She underwent advanced imaging of her abdomen (CT imaging and radiography) to determine the severity of her injuries. This revealed Millie had sustained severe injuries, including trauma damage to her lungs, a severe hernia within her diaphragm, a fracture of the femur, and a hip dislocation.
Over the next few days, the Lumbry Park team monitored Millie’s condition closely, making sure she was stable enough to undergo the surgery she desperately needed. It was not until three days later that the soft tissue surgery team could finally perform a complex diaphragmatic hernia repair - carefully repositioning Millie’s displaced organs including her liver, stomach, intestines and spleen.
Once Millie had been successfully treated by the soft tissue surgery team, it was time for Lumbry Park’s orthopaedic surgery Specialists to step in and perform a fracture repair to her femur and to stabilise her hip. The femoral fracture was stabilised using steel plates and screws, to ensure a strong and durable repair. Simultaneously, her hip dislocation was corrected and secured using a ‘hip toggle’ to restore the joint’s stability.
Lateral Xray of Millie’s femur fracture and hip dislocation
Millie was then transferred to Lumbry Park’s recovery ward to recuperate. Here, its team of specialist nurses observed she showed exceptional resilience and strength.
Astonishingly, just two days after her femur repair surgery, Millie was deemed well enough to return home. To enable this, owner Luke ensured that diligent post-operative care was provided and strict rest and rehabilitation guidelines were followed - detailed on her discharge.
At her eight-week check-up, Millie’s progress was incredible. She had regained her mobility and enthusiasm, with her femur and hip healing just as expected. Five months on and Millie is enjoying walks again.
Nuria Comas, Specialist in Small Animal Surgery who performed Millie’s diaphragmatic and orthopaedic surgeries, said:
“Unfortunately, road accidents can result in devastating injuries. But with expert intervention and dedicated aftercare, many patients can make a full recovery.
When I saw Millie at her arrival, I really feared for her life. It was great to see how the critical care team worked on Millie, allowing her successful stabilisation. It was then very gratifying to see how she pulled through the surgeries making such an amazing and fast recovery. Her case is just another reminder of the incredibly skilled team we have here at Lumbry Park.”
Owner Luke said:
“Millie is now recovering amazingly well and continues to go from strength to strength. We are extremely grateful for the care extended to Millie and us during her time at Lumbry Park.”
Lumbry Park Veterinary Referrals is one of the largest and most advanced veterinary specialist referral centres in the UK. With a 140-strong team, it offers a broad range of specialist veterinary referral services including anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, ophthalmology, oncology, orthopaedics, physiotherapy, soft tissue surgery.