When Lisa Brady discovered that her 2-year-old Siberian Husky, Sky, had escaped from her garden in Whitham, Essexn, she was beside herself with worry. As well as scouring the vicinity, she posted on her local Neighbourhood Watch Facebook Page which resulted in neighbours joining in the search. The last thing she expected was a phone call from the British Transport Police to say that Sky had been taken to a vets 15 miles away in Colchester, Essex.
It transpired that Sky had made her way onto the railway line just outside Whitham and was hit by a train which was pulling out of the station. The driver stopped the train and managed to catch Sky who was mobile but very distressed. He then took her onto the train and continued his journey to Colchester, contacting the British Transport Police to alert them to the situation.
On arrival at Colchester station, a pet ambulance was waiting for them and Sky was taken immediately to Colne Valley Veterinary Surgery. They assessed her condition and, because she had clearly sustained severe head injuries, they referred her to us for specialist treatment.
She was assessed by our Neurology and Soft Tissue Surgery Teams and given a whole body CT scan. This showed that the cheekbone and lower jawbone were fractured, with bone protruding through the skin and prone to infection. Also, the skin on the right hand side of Sky’s face, from the edge of her lip to her neck, including the ear, had been torn away from the underlying tissue.
Her wounds were cleaned, covered with moistened swabs and bandaged. This process was then repeated for 7 days, with the swabs being replaced and the dressings changed every day.
On 13th June, Jackie Demetriou, Head of Soft Tissue Surgery, felt that Sky was fit for the required surgery. This necessitated removing the external ear canal before the skin could be sutured back into place.
Amazingly, just one week after the operation, with a feeding tube in place, she was allowed to go home and continue to recuperate under the care of her owner and primary care vet, although she returned to us for check-ups. However, on 26th June, her stitches and feeding tube were removed and she does not need any further appointments.
Her grateful owner has said they she will always be grateful for the care and expertise Sky received from our vets and nurses. She is now coming to terms with the costs which, between her primary care vet, the British Transport Police and DWR total around £10,000. However, many of her friends and those who are aware of Sky’s story have been willing to help and a JustGiving page (https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/helphealskypup) has raised over £4,000 to contribute towards the costs.