A story of the healing power of small animal orthopedic surgery
When Ruby first came to the Purdue University Veterinary Hospital, she was just nine months old, and her injuries were more complex than when they first appeared.
Ruby is a toy poodle and over a month earlier, while playing, she jumped off a couch and fractured both of her front legs. Despite several weeks of treatment with splints and casts, her legs were not healing properly.
When Ruby arrived at Purdue, Dr. Sarah Malek, associate professor of small animal orthopedic surgery, and the small animal orthopedic surgery team determined that her fractures needed to be reset and stabilized with bone plates and screws to give her the best chance of recovery. She had surgery performed on both her front legs and received a bone graft to help speed up the healing process. With meticulous surgical aftercare and a planned series of rechecks, Ruby began her journey to recovery.
Her owner remained closely involved every step of the way, diligently following detailed aftercare instructions and providing the consistency Ruby needed to heal. After six weeks, Ruby returned to the Purdue Veterinary Hospital for her final recheck and the x-rays showed that both her front legs had healed well. She was given the green light to gradually return to normal activity. Now, after a long journey, Ruby is back to being herself.
“Thank you so much for taking care of Ruby’s legs and for taking the time to talk for a while to make sure I did all things right in her after care,” her owner said. “She is doing amazing.”
Her owner also shared, “It’s been a long road. Thanks to Ace Veterinary and Purdue’s Small Animal Hospital, which I highly recommend, here we are.”
Dr. Malek characterized Ruby’s recovery as amazing. “Ruby is lucky to have been able to recover so well from her particular injury,” Dr. Malek said, emphasizing, “Small and toy breed dogs are prone to breaking their front legs and due to the small size of their bones, the best treatment option for them is early surgical intervention.”
Ruby’s story reflects what is possible when advanced surgical care is paired with a committed and attentive owner. With Dr. Malek and the Purdue team guiding her treatment and recovery, Ruby was able to return to her normal life as her owner’s faithful canine companion.
The videos below show the extent of Ruby’s recovery after her orthopedic surgery.
