Extract from K9 Magazine

Sunderland Puppy Survives Deadly Cliff Plunge

Submitted by Jennifer White on November 25, 2009 – 9:55 am

PDSA vets in Sunderland have helped a puppy to walk again after a 45ft plunge off a cliff. Patterdale Terrier puppy, Darcy Dodds, from Washington, defied death after nose-diving off Whitburn cliffs, leaving her with numerous life-threatening injuries.

Following a dramatic rescue operation, involving the coastguard and the local emergency services, Darcy was treated by the veterinary team at Sunderland PDSA PetAid hospital. Veterinary Surgeon, Chris Brinkley, says: “Darcy had fractured the tibia (shin bone) in her left hind leg and broken all of the bones in her front paws. Her front legs were completely shattered. Not surprisingly, she was in a lot of pain and was extremely lucky to have survived.”

Chris and the team spent hours setting and plastering her broken bones while her back leg was fitted with an external fixator – a metal cage fitted onto the leg – to help repair the broken bones.

The excitable puppy, who was just four-months-old at the time of the accident, had been playing with her owner Pauline Dodds (49) and her grandchildren at the time of the accident.

Pauline says: ”My grandchildren had come with me to take Darcy for her walk and decided to throw a stone for her to chase. Everything happened very quickly. The path was quite close to the cliff, I was distracted by my youngest grandson and suddenly the stone rolled off the edge. Darcy ran after it, slid under the railing and disappeared from view.

“My heart was in my mouth when I realised what had happened. I could hear her yelping in pain at the bottom of the cliff but couldn’t get to her. I tried to stay calm for the kids’ sake but inside I feared the worst.”

Chris continues: “Darcy’s injuries were extremely serious, but she was very lucky to have escaped without internal or head injuries. The surgery went very well, but despite all our efforts we were concerned her back leg might have to be amputated because of the severity of the fracture.”

Such was Darcy’s fighting spirit, she had perked up enough to be allowed home the following day. Pauline was given strict instructions to keep Darcy calm and ensure she got plenty of rest.

Pauline says: “She was off her food for a while so I kept trying to tempt her with little bits and pieces. But even though she couldn’t get around much she never whined or moaned. It took about six weeks for her to get back to her old self, but she’s finally running around like a puppy again.”

Darcy visited Sunderland PDSA PetAid hospital every week following her accident so the veterinary team could assess her progress. Chris concludes: “Darcy finally had the external fixator taken off her back leg this week, more than two months after her accident. She’s made an incredible recovery and amazingly still has all four limbs intact. It really is a miracle she survived. The staff have spent so much time with her these past few months she feels like a member of the family.”

PDSA is currently raising money to build a brand new, state-of-the-art PetAid hospital in Sunderland to cope with the ever-growing number of pets it treats. To find out how you can help PDSA reach its £1.6 million target please call freephone 0800 917 2509 or visit www.pdsa.org.uk/sunderlandappeal.