Princess, a retired seven-and-a-half-year-old racing greyhound, came into VetLove Southside recently with a severe fractured leg.
This was Princess’s second fractured leg; her first was when she was racing and only two years old, after which she retired from racing.
Princess was happily playing on her seven-acre block of land when her owner, who coincidentally had a fractured leg at the same time, heard her cry out. She was in a lot of pain, and her owners recognised straight away that this was an emergency and brought her down to the clinic. X-rays confirmed a severe fracture break, which needed surgical repair by our resident orthopaedic vet, Dr Geoff Wilson.
After a few months of rest and recovery, Princess was finally let out into the seven-acre main yard to get some fresh air and get back to normal life.
Being extremely excited and active for a seven-year-old greyhound, it didn’t take long before another big cry of pain was heard. Yes, Princess had managed to break the other leg! Her owner rushed out to see her holding up her back leg this time. She was rushed into the clinic again on 24 June. X-Rays were taken and it was confirmed that another leg had been fractured. Dr Geoff returned for surgery once again.
A very fragile Princess is recovering well, but we think she will be going for more walks, with less excitement and a more sedentary life before she breaks anything else. Maybe she needs a sign that says, ‘handle with care’!