Miraculous Recovery after being Hit by Car Extends Life of Companionship for Beloved Canine
When an eight-year-old shepherd-mix dog named Lucy was injured after tragically getting struck by a car, co-parents Matt and Gretchen Walker were told that she would likely never walk again. That was over three years ago, in May of 2021. The Walkers, of Brookston, Indiana, had raised Lucy since she was a puppy, and knew that her life was nothing short of worth fighting for. “If she was willing to live, I was willing to do whatever it took,” Matt said as he recounted the story recently.
After being referred to the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital by Dr. Larry Stauffer, a veterinarian and Purdue alumnus in Delphi, Indiana, Matt scooped up Lucy into his arms, laid her in the back seat of his truck, and drove straight to Purdue’s West Lafayette campus.
Lucy had suffered traumatic injuries on her hind legs – one had a fracture and ankle dislocation amidst extensive wounds and the other had major wounds on the foot. Once Lucy was stabilized by the hospital’s ER team, she was transferred to the Orthopedic Surgery Service for treatment of her injuries.
Lucy needed extensive wound care on both of her hind legs and her left ankle had to be surgically stabilized with the help of an external skeletal fixator. Lucy also needed a carefully crafted follow-up care plan which included multiple rechecks combined with meticulous home care from her owners. This treatment plan allowed her ankle to become stable and the majority of her wounds to heal. Associate professor of small animal orthopedic surgery, Dr. Sarah Malek, performed the initial surgery and oversaw most of the follow-up treatment that paved the way for Lucy’s successful recovery.
By the end of June in 2021, Dr. Malek’s team was able to remove the external skeletal fixation on her left leg, and also saw that her right rear foot wounds had fully healed. Then, that August, Lucy was ready to undergo a second surgery, performed by Dr. Mark Rochat, professor of small animal orthopedic surgery and Small Animal Surgery section head, to place a skin graft over her left ankle to speed her remaining healing. The graft procedure was successful and a month later, Lucy received a clean bill of health that freed her to gradually return to normal activity.
Today, only a slight limp reveals anything out of the ordinary for the lively canine who became a vital companion to Gretchen’s mom, Beverly Mann, after she was widowed by the passing of her husband. These details of Lucy’s impactful life only can be understood retrospectively, which is why Lucy’s orthopedic surgery team was excited to see Lucy again when she came back for a visit this spring.
The visit resulted from Dr. Malek’s interest in following up with Matt and Gretchen to see how Lucy was doing three years after her accident. On March 20, the Walker family found themselves back at Purdue – this time to share the story of Lucy’s miraculous recovery. “We are always interested in how patients are doing long-term,” Dr. Malek said. “It was great to see a dog of her age – a more senior dog – recover so well. I was pleasantly surprised to see that despite the seriousness of her injuries, she was doing great and still had a feisty twinkle in her eyes.”
After assessing her surroundings, Lucy warmed up quickly and walked around, sporting the hairy black patch on her white leg, at the site of her skin graft. “It’s like a signature from her final surgery here, since her hair on her foot is white, but the skin graft came from a nearby area of black hair. It’s as though she has a memento from her time of healing at Purdue,” Dr. Malek said. In total, Lucy had nearly 30 visits to the veterinary hospital, including the two surgeries.
Dr. Malek explained that Lucy’s successful recovery is a credit to the thoroughness and commitment of her owners, who continuously brought her back for bandage care. “Some wounds take a lot longer to heal than broken bones, and it takes dedication and consistency in bringing the patient back for rechecks. Even the most beautiful surgical repair will be unsuccessful without appropriate follow-up, especially when wound care is involved,” Dr. Malek shared. “This was a team effort between Lucy’s family and our Orthopedic Surgery Service that resulted in the successful outcome we see today.”
For Lucy, well, she’s just living a dog’s life now. But for everyone around her, the life she’s living is nothing short of miraculous.
Lucy, we are so proud of you and inspired by your resilience and courage!