{"id":1363,"date":"2019-07-30T11:55:05","date_gmt":"2019-07-30T15:55:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/?p=1363"},"modified":"2022-07-11T09:59:10","modified_gmt":"2022-07-11T13:59:10","slug":"my-coolest-surgery-last-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/my-coolest-surgery-last-year\/","title":{"rendered":"My coolest surgery last year!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Imagine my surprise when one of my practices asked me if I\u2019d be willing to repair a broken bone in a fox!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Of course, I instantly replied YES!<\/span><\/p>\n

A 2 year old fox had likely been hit by a car. He was found by a rescue and brought to the clinic. X-rays showed a fractured left humerus (the bone in the arm). It was repaired with a metal pin, which slipped out of the bone \u2013 twice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

I was later called to the practice to repair the bone. The first thing I did is rename my new patient. \u201cCase # 3781\u201d didn\u2019t sound very good. I thought that \u201cRobin Hood\u201d was more appropriate.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Fox

Fox sedated on the X-ray table<\/p><\/div>\n

My amazing nurses treated him like a dog: IV catheter, IV fluids, pain medications, antibiotics \u2013 the works. Our fox friend was put under anesthesia and his beautiful red fur was clipped.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Then surgery started. Several months after the initial accident, there was a lot of scar tissue between the ends of the bone, which were not very healthy. During a more than 3 hour long surgery, the bone was repaired with a metal plate and 9 screws. A bone graft was added to speed up healing, since the fracture site was so unhealthy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A \"A<\/p>\n

The fox went back to the rescue to heal in a small enclosure. Amazingly, he tolerated a \u201ccone\u201d (E collar) around his head so he wouldn\u2019t lick the incision.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Robin<\/p>\n

After a month, X-rays were taken under sedation. I was absolutely shocked to see that the bone looked completely healed. In a dog or a cat, it would have taken at least 2 months for such an old fracture to heal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Since the goal was to release Robin Hood in the Wild, I thought that it would be prudent to confine him for another month.<\/span><\/p>\n

After two months, more X-rays were taken. They confirmed that the bone was healed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"More \"X-rays<\/p>\n

Because it was still winter (early 2019), the rescue wanted to make absolutely sure that Robin Hood would be able to feed himself in the Wild. After all, he had been fed by humans for the past few months, and we needed to play it safe.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the next few weeks, Robin Hood was given more and more freedom. He was then allowed to hunt to feed himself. Once he could do that, it was time to release him in the Wild. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"Robin<\/p>\n

This short video shows this incredible and emotional moment.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GY_ViY9x1dQ<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Please keep in mind that handling wildlife requires special skills and permits. Although foxes are extremely cute, they cannot be treated like our domestic friends. In addition, some wild animals may have rabies, which is deadly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, Robin Hood didn\u2019t have rabies and allowed generous humans to help him get back to the Wild.<\/span><\/p>\n

I am very grateful to this rescue organization for their amazing dedication during this long recovery \u2013 and for allowing me to help Robin Hood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Phil Zeltzman, DVM, DACVS, CVJ, Fear Free Certified<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Imagine my surprise when one of my practices asked me if I\u2019d be willing to repair a broken bone in a fox! Of course, I instantly replied YES! A 2 year old fox had likely been hit by a car. He was found by a rescue and brought to the clinic. X-rays showed a fractured […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[216,157,217,156,215],"class_list":["post-1363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-fox","tag-phil-zeltzman","tag-robin-hood","tag-veterinary-surgeon","tag-wildlife"],"yoast_head":"\nMy coolest surgery last year! | Dr Phil Zeltzman\u2019s Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Imagine my surprise when one of my practices asked me if I\u2019d be willing to repair a broken bone in a fox!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.drphilzeltzman.com\/blog\/my-coolest-surgery-last-year\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"My coolest surgery last year! 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