By: Chelsea Friesen

Poppy and her owner were spending some peaceful time up on the mountain when Poppy suddenly disappeared! Her owner began frantically searching for her and four hours later Poppy was found at the bottom of a 30-foot cliff. She was conscious when found, but had a clearly broken back leg. After being found, Poppy still had a long hike, boat ride, and drive ahead of her before she reached the hospital. Once she arrived it was clear that her leg required surgery as it had an open fracture and chances of infection were high.

Poppy received pain medication immediately upon arrival to ensure she was comfortable. After much deliberation, the decision was made to proceed with amputation as the optimal course of action. Despite this challenging situation, Poppy, being a young and otherwise healthy dog, carried hope for a successful recovery. Once Poppy was prepped for surgery the team spent two hours carefully performing the amputation.

During recovery, Poppy was fairly vocal, letting us know she wanted to go home. Despite her protests, she remained in hospital for one more night to ensure she recovered well and could be safely discharged. The following day, she was joyfully reunited with her owner, and astonishingly, less than a month later, Poppy's owner reported that it was as though she had always had three legs. Poppy is one lucky dog!