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As the owner withdrew his arms it became all too clear
the extent of "Benji's" injuries. The car wheels
had driven right over "Benji's" body and burst
his abdomen like a balloon. Consequently, his bowels and
liver were lying flopped out onto the table.
Additionally, the diaphragm muscle - which separates his
chest from his abdomen - had ruptured causing his lungs
to collapse and allowing his beating heart to be clearly
visible. The owner's departing words were that they understood
that "Benji's" injuries merited euthanasia. I
fully anticipated that "Benji" would "breathe
his last" at any second. Astonishingly, he continued
to strive to suck in some air despite the state of his mangled
body.
Impressed by his grim determination I rushed him to the
surgical unit and began the process of "piecing him
back together". Together with my duty nurse (Linda)
and my three young daughters (Paula, Faith and Kirsten,
whose assistance was invaluable) we managed to ventilate,
rehydrate and operate.
I fully expected "Benji" to die at any moment
throughout the variety of procedures that we performed.
Amazingly, not only has he survived the original horrific
injuries, the subsequent surgery but several weeks later
thanks to his miraculous powers of recovery and the patience
and dedication of his owners he is now running around and
enjoying life.
Whilst it remains to be seen, because of nerve damage to
one of his hindlegs, whether his recovery will be 100% complete
I find the notion that a patient can recover from such horrendous
injuries will hopefully act as an inspiration to us all.
Terry
Dunne BVMS, Cert SAO, MRCVS
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Benji