Hello! It's Friday, so another case to share with everyone. Today I share a tough case with you. This is a heart-breaker, and this story may not be for everyone. But, please read on for an important reminder as you are out driving. As always, the patient's name has been changed to protect the family's privacy.
Why don’t people stop when they hit a dog with their car? I can’t tell you the number of times I had a dog come into the veterinary hospital on emergency for being hit by a car. The stories all differed in why the dog was in the road…...chasing a car, saw a squirrel or a deer, excited because they recognized their owners car coming down the road, etc. But, one part of the story was often the same.....the person that hit the dog with their car either didn’t stop at all to see how the pet was doing and try to find help, or would stop a block down the road to check the damage to their car, then speed off.
Meet Tilly. She was a 5 year old Siberian Husky who ran into the road one cold morning after a heavy snowfall. Her owners lived on a very quiet road with very little traffic and a speed limit of 25mph. They saw her run toward the road, saw a car coming down the road going over the speed limit and there was nothing they could do to reach her in time. After the car hit her, the driver sped off, not bothering to check the condition of the dog laying in the middle of the road.
Her owners gently picked her up and raced her to my animal hospital. On presentation she was anxious but seemingly comfortable. Most concerning about her exam was the large hump to her spine. After quickly completing her physical exam, we gently carried her to x-ray where the image below was found.
This person who had been driving way too fast not only for this neighborhood, but for the winter conditions outside, had completely severed her spinal cord. This explains why she seemed to “comfortable” rather than crying in pain. She couldn’t feel anything from the middle of her chest down through her back legs.
Her owners elected euthanasia so that she would not have to suffer. Their grief was so great, as is so common at times like this. Her life and theirs had changed in the blink of an eye. They elected a private cremation so that they could have her ashes always, and I made them a clay pawprint as I always did for private cremations. When they came to pick up her ashes one week later, I could tell the pain was still fresh.
Drive carefully and cautiously. Always stop to help an animal in need.
Why don’t people stop when they hit a dog with their car? I can’t tell you the number of times I had a dog come into the veterinary hospital on emergency for being hit by a car. The stories all differed in why the dog was in the road…...chasing a car, saw a squirrel or a deer, excited because they recognized their owners car coming down the road, etc. But, one part of the story was often the same.....the person that hit the dog with their car either didn’t stop at all to see how the pet was doing and try to find help, or would stop a block down the road to check the damage to their car, then speed off.
Her owners gently picked her up and raced her to my animal hospital. On presentation she was anxious but seemingly comfortable. Most concerning about her exam was the large hump to her spine. After quickly completing her physical exam, we gently carried her to x-ray where the image below was found.
Her owners elected euthanasia so that she would not have to suffer. Their grief was so great, as is so common at times like this. Her life and theirs had changed in the blink of an eye. They elected a private cremation so that they could have her ashes always, and I made them a clay pawprint as I always did for private cremations. When they came to pick up her ashes one week later, I could tell the pain was still fresh.
Drive carefully and cautiously. Always stop to help an animal in need.
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