A black lab is getting back to normal after treatment for a fractured spine that was touch-and-go for weeks. It hasn’t been an easy recovery, but innovative surgical techniques gave him a second chance.
Scout, a 90-pound lab mix, was hit by a vehicle in August that left the dog’s spine fractured in two places.
When he arrived at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Virginia Tech, he was unable to move any of his limbs.
“He couldn’t stand at all, which typically indicates a neck injury. But his reflexes pointed to problems in his lower spine,” said Leanne Jankelunas, a neurology resident. “We realized we were dealing with multiple trauma sites.”
The veterinary team stabilized the lower spine with titanium implants using the hospital’s recently acquired titanium pedicle screw system.
The neck fracture had to be treated differently – with a custom brace that was changed weekly. The case provided hands-on experience in modern veterinary care for students.
“There were many people involved every time,” said Jankelunas. “We recruited people from other departments. We couldn’t fully sedate Scout because that would relax the muscles holding his neck stable. If that fracture moved at all, it unfortunately could cause him to pass away.”
Scout’s owner, Alyssa Fox, of Floyd, knew the complexity of spine injuries; she had a cycling accident that left her with 24 screws in her own spine.
Fox and her partner, Kristopher Bauer, slept on the living room floor for two months. Every three hours, they carried Scout outside. Scout was declared “neurologically normal” at his final checkup. Today, Scout is back to playing with his stuffies, and he can can bound up and down stairs and play fetch with Fox and Bauer.
“We saw ourselves in Scout,” said Bauer. “We knew what it was like to fight your way back.”
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Chris Graham
