Accessible Veterinary Care Programs Save German Shepherd Hit by Car

Summer has found a new forever home after being hit by a car that required several surgeries at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH). The approximately 1-year-old German shepherd’s long journey back to health required a large team of veterinary professionals and volunteers. Their dedication to providing care to underserved communities, and saving animals in the process, has given a young dog a new lease on life in the perfect landing spot.  

Summer was brought to the Covelo Clinic by a rescue partner. Three times a year, this student-led project of the UC Davis Accessible Veterinary Care (AVC) program takes veterinary students, faculty, and staff volunteers four hours north of campus to offer free veterinary services to the remote and underserved community of Covelo. This small town is tucked into a valley in the mountains of the California Coast Ranges near the Mendocino National Forest. Veterinary care is scarce, with the nearest small clinic more than an hour away and larger hospitals several hours away.

In addition to the limited access to veterinary care due to financial and transportation barriers, the community also faces challenges with pet overpopulation. In partnership with the local nonprofit Better Options for Neglected Strays Pet Rescue, Covelo Clinic provides spay and neuter surgeries, vaccinations, preventive medications, general wellness care, and owner education.

The clinic is part of the school’s initiative to mentor veterinary students within community-based veterinary care through AVC. By volunteering at the clinic, veterinary students gain dozens of hours of hands-on experience in “Day 1 skills” – medical diagnoses and procedures in which all new DVM graduates should be proficient on their first day of being a licensed veterinarian.  

At the time of presentation at Covelo Clinic, Summer could not bear weight on her right rear leg, indicating a potential pelvic limb injury. She also had open wounds on her legs, and an injury to her left rear ankle area.

It was clear that Summer would need long-term care before she would be fully healthy again. Dr. Karen Vernau, who was volunteering at the clinic, inquired for assistance from Eileen Peebles, president of ShepHeroes German Shepherd Rescue.

Peebles immediately said yes, and Summer was transported to the VMTH for further diagnoses through the hospital’s advanced imaging capabilities in the Diagnostic Imaging Service. Summer had a dislocated right hip that required surgical correction, as well as a small piece of bone broken off her inner left ankle. This was caused by a ligament attached to that bone pulling hard enough to tear a small piece of the bone away with it. The injury made Summer’s ankle joint abnormally loose and unstable.

“While Summer was an appropriate candidate for an open surgery to correct her hip, the surgery can be riskier when she does not have another good leg to help recover,” said orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ming Lu.

Furthermore, open wounds also complicate the surgical approach. The decision was made to splint her ankle injury and delay a potential surgery on that limb and focus surgery on the hip injury first.

Summer was a candidate for another AVC program, the UC Davis Fracture Program for Rescue Animals, which provides orthopedic surgical care for shelter and rescue animals. Fracture Program cases provide essential learning opportunities, furthering veterinary students’ education and surgery residents’ training.

Dr. Lu and surgery resident Dr. Beatriz Garcia corrected Summer’s hip injury and stabilized it with a toggle pin technique – placing the femoral head back into the hip joint then using a strong suture material to hold the joint in a proper position while the surrounding tissue heals.

“As a surgery resident, I greatly value the opportunities the Fracture Program provides to gain additional hands-on surgical experience while helping animals that otherwise may not have access to the care they need,” said Dr. Garcia. “Working with rescue patients exposes surgery residents to a wide variety of orthopedic injuries and challenges us to adapt our surgical planning to each individual case. What makes the program especially rewarding is that the experience is mutually beneficial – we can develop our skills and confidence as surgeons while giving these animals a chance to recover and ultimately find loving homes.”

Summer’s ankle injury was being managed conservatively with a splint and bandage stabilization while her hip injury healed. The open wounds on her legs were debrided and closed with staples.

Summer was fostered by Peebles throughout her recovery, fitting in well with the three other German shepherds at her home. Peebles and ShepHeroes have worked with the Fracture Program many times over the years and is a valued UC Davis rescue partner.

Three weeks after the hip surgery, Summer returned to the VMTH to have her ankle injury surgically repaired. Dr. Po-Yen Chou, chief of the Orthopedic Surgery Service, and surgery resident Dr. Carma Horwood corrected the fracture and used screws and strong nylon suture to create a replacement ligament to stabilize her ankle joint.

Two months later, Summer’s final surgeries—a hernia repair and a spay—were performed by yet another AVC entity, the VMTH’s Community Surgery Service. In this service, fourth-year DVM students gain a greater degree of hands-on surgical experience performing routine procedures such as spays, neuters, and mass removals. All student procedures are closely supervised by UC Davis faculty veterinarians.

“Summer was a great example of how AVC programs came together to give a patient the care she needed while providing invaluable learning experiences for students and residents,” added Dr. Garcia.

Following recovery, Summer was ready for a forever home. And Peebles knew just the right one.

Art Calderon is a retired United States Air Force veteran and volunteer with ShepHeroes. He and his wife Laura have rescued 10 German shepherds over the course of their 36-year marriage. Summer makes 11.

“We have a policy in our home when it comes to our dogs – if you enter our house, you’re here forever!” exclaimed Art. “I instantly fell in love with Summer as soon as I saw her. After hearing her back story, we knew our home was the household for Summer.”

Summer joins Max, the Calderon’s other shepherd, and the two are quickly forming a solid bond.

“We’re so grateful to UC Davis for saving her,” said Laura. “After I read her medical records, I was in tears – this poor girl. But she’s doing wonderful now. She’s such a sweet girl, and we love her so much.”

“I’m glad we were able to help with Summer,” said Peebles. “She is a great example of the collaborative nature of what we can all do together to save animals.”

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