Painstaking Surgery Fixes Disabled Dog Rescued From Afghanistan
6 years ago 
1593 views
A disabled dog rescued from the war-torn streets of Afghanistan is enjoying a new lease of life after specialist treatment to cure a deformity which left him lame.
Kringle, a three-year-old Anatolian shepherd mixed breed, was left orphaned after his mother was killed in a road accident in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Charity NOWZAD, set up to relieve the suffering of animals in Afghanistan, stepped in and brought him back to England where they found him a new home and funded specialist treatment for his deformed front right leg.
Pauline Holmes-Brown, from Paignton, gave Kringle a new home while Cave Veterinary Specialists, near West Buckland in Somerset, gave the young dog a new lease of life.
Cave’s European specialist in soft tissue surgery, Malcolm Jack, successfully carried out the operation to tackle the birth deformity.
Malcolm said: “Kringle presented with a right angular limb deformity (ALD), which caused his front foot to protrude at an angle, causing lameness and pain.
“It can happen when bones sitting side by side grow at a different rate, due to damage to the growth plate. In Kringle’s case his right ulna (19cm) was 2.2cm shorter in length than the contralateral left (21.2 cm), leading to bowing of the radius.
“The problem was making him lame in his right forelimb and it was obvious to see the deformity in his gait.
“We took CT images which gave us the opportunity to map and build a 3D image of Kringle’s limb allowing us to plan the most appropriate surgical correction.
“We also sent the images to VET3D, which specialises in 3D printed patient-specific surgical systems, to see if they could create a surgical jig to suit Kringle.
“They could and they did. The jig aiding in a smooth, complication free surgery to be performed with X-rays showing good post-operative alignment of the limb.”
Pauline said: “We can’t thank Malcolm and the team at Cave enough, they were brilliant.
“Kringle has recovered well from surgery and is now living an active, full life. He’s chasing squirrels in the woods, loves running across the beach although he’s not too keen on the water.
“We love him. He’s a real star and we are so happy to have been able to help rescue him and give him a forever home.”
Cave Veterinary Specialists offer a comprehensive range of services including anaesthesia, cardiology, dermatology, internal medicine, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, orthopaedic surgery, pain management, rehabilitation and soft tissue surgery.
For more information on Cave Veterinary Specialists, which is part of Linnaeus, visit https://cave-vet-specialists.co.uk.
More from Linnaeus Group
