Ginger's Story

Ginger is a sweet 14-year-old Dachshund/Terrier mix who has endured many trials this year. Her owner was in a hospice care home until she passed away in January. Her owner’s mother and sister moved in to Ginger’s home to care for their daughter/sister and have remained there so Ginger wouldn’t have to move to a new home and has been adopted by them. She is deeply loved and affectionately called “my beloved GrandPup".

While her owner was ill, Ginger would visit her in the hospice care home. After her owner passed away, Ginger became sad and confused when she was no longer taken there to visit. Anxious to see her loving owner again, Ginger often tried to dash out the door whenever it was open. On January 6th, she managed to escape, only two days after her owner died. Ginger was running quickly towards the care home when she was tragically hit by a car.

Ginger came to First Regional Animal Hospital (FRAH) with multiple fractures and lacerations. She had several bone fractures in her right ankle joint which created an unstable joint. Her right fibula was also fractured as well as her right femur. In addition, Ginger had multiple lacerations on her right hind leg as well as a very large skin laceration on her ventral abdomen which was pulled away from her body.  Compounding all these issues, Ginger was diagnosed a few years ago with a disease called polycythemia vera, which causes the body to overproduce red blood cells. Dr. Babyak had kept Ginger well-controlled with hydroxyuria for many years before her injury.

Ginger was first stabilized by our emergency doctors here at FRAH, and her wounds were temporarily treated, until she was stable enough for major surgery. Ginger needed to have her lacerations closed, her femur fracture repaired, and her ankle joint to be fused. 14-year-old Ginger courageously weathered the storm and handled her treatments like she was a 14-month-old puppy. With multiple visits, bandage changes, and laser therapy, Ginger healed in approximately 12 weeks.  Her spirit never changed from week one, and she always appeared to maintain a positive attitude throughout her treatment.

We love Ginger, and we are so pleased to report that she is healthy and happy again. We love to see her when she comes back for her check up visits.