Paco the puppy in need of leg-saving surgery
PHOENIX - Paco the puppy visited with Dr. Lirtzman Wednesday morning at the Arizona Canine Orthopedics Clinic where the vet changed the injured dog's bandages, making sure his wound is healing.
"His wound is right about in this area here," Dr. Lirtzman said. "He probably had a bite wound that got infected and there's some loose, dead infected bone that needs to be resolved to one, finally resolve his infection, and two, to get his bone to heal."
Dr. Lirtzman has been treating Paco for a few weeks now after Andra Jeffress from the Animal Benefits Club helped rescue him from a shelter in Hermosillo, Mexico.
The staff there was unable to provide the care that Paco needed to save his leg.
"This dog, you know, he hurt for a long time and he's just a baby. He's a baby, he's not even a year old," Dr. Lirtzman said.
Paco the puppy (Animals Benefit Club)
Under Dr. Lirtzman's supervision, Paco was put on antibiotics, which the doctor says have made a huge difference, and next week Paco will have surgery.
"We're going to remove all of the infected tissue, put new bone graft[sic] in that space," Dr. Lirtzman said. "The total time for the operation probably a couple of hours. "So we're going to use intra-op X-ray to position pins through his bone and then we're going to make a small little approach over where the infected bone is."
The hope is in a few month's time, Paco's leg will heal and won't need to be amputated. Dr. Lirtzman says the surgery should ensure a full recovery.
On Wednesady night, Andra Jeffress with Animals Benefit Club released this statement on Paco.
Animals Benefit Club
http://animalsbenefitclub.com/
Animals Benefit Club information on Paco