Success Stories

Will, April 2001

Just under 1 year old, Will almost didn't get an opportunity to see his own first birthday. Will was hit by a car and left for dead at the side of a road in Tampa, Florida. Two kind souls stopped and one of them took him to a local vet. After no one stepped forward to claim Will, the vet turned the injured Lab over to Hillsborough County Animal Services a couple of days later. But Will's luck hadn't run out. Fortunately for him, Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida, Inc.(LRRF) heard of his plight and visited him in the shelter.

When evaluated, his tail wagged and he kept pushing his head into the evaulator's hands to be petted - even though it turned out that while lying there Will was suffering from two broken femurs and a broken ball joint as a result of the accident. Detailed medical exams of Will's injuries revealed that his left femur had a horizontal break and since the accident occurred more than 10 days ago his body had already added bone to repair it. Since this natural repair could not be changed without re-breaking the leg, it was fortunate that the bone had healed fairly straight. The only down side to this is that the natural repair's pitch was slightly off so that Will's left leg will always turn out a little due to the overlapping of the bones, but no surgery was necessary on that leg. On the right side, the break was rather nasty and the vet ended up needing a pin and 4 screws to hold the bone in place. Finally, the head of the right femur was broken badly and the easiest procedure was for it to be removed (FHO). This procedure eliminates the pain associated with the injury and the muscles will strengthen and form an "artificial" joint.

The cost of providing this extensive treatment was beyond the funds LRRF had available and they contacted LABMED for funding. LABMED voted to fund Will's treatment and LRRF also received donations toward Will's treatment from generous local residents.

On January 14, 2002, LABMED was excited to learn that Will went to his forever home and his new mom came armed with treats when she came to pick him up from his foster home. We wish Will a long and happy life.