By By ANDY HAMILTON / Niles Daily Star
SOUTH BEND - It has been three weeks since “Lucky” arrived at Clayview Animal Clinic in South Bend, Ind.
The Jack Russell terrier mix with a sandy brown and black face was brought to the clinic for surgery after she was found by a pair of Niles teens on Tuesday, May 9.
Lucky - which is what personnel at the animal clinic called her, though they said her owner calls her Matilda - is believed to have suffered her injuries after allegedly being dropped off an overpass at Thompson Road.
A report was filed with the Cass County Sheriff's Department. However, this morning Capt. Lyndon Parrish of the department said he was unable to access the report and provide other information about the alleged incident that led to Lucky's injuries because of problems with the department's computer system caused by an electrical outage overnight.
Doctors at Clayview started with x-rays and then sedated Lucky. The surgery on the puppy took at least four hours, veterinary assistant at Clayview, Jenny Frye said.
The x-rays taken when Lucky first arrived showed a total of eight broken bones, four of which were in the dog's front right paw.
During the surgery, Frye said pins were used to repair the four to five-month-old puppy's front and hind legs. Plus, a second surgery was necessary to place a false hip in Lucky's back right leg.
Three weeks after the surgery, Lucky still has casts on her front and back legs. Her front right paw is wrapped with a pink cast. The back leg on the same side is stabilized to hold Lucky's hip in place. Plus, the white hair on her rear that was shaved for surgery is starting to grow back and she is even able to stand.
When Lucky is not resting in her cage, she does her daily range of motion exercises to keep her loose. Frye said the puppy's progress is followed by continuous x-rays. Complete Recovery from the surgery should take about two months.