Written by Chiz Judge
Professional photography by Ken Etberg Photography
My beautiful boy had tumbled down a river bank, onto a rock slab and into the river... it was absolutely awful!
Disaster at the river
Rocco and I often meet up with my two besties and their dogs at the riverbank in Uvongo. There’s a nice spot where we sit and chat and let the dogs play.
My friend Maria has to keep her dog on the lead; he was getting bored, so she said she’d just take him along the riverbank path (which we’ve been down many times) for five minutes and come back. Did Rocco want to go with them? I didn’t think twice. She and her dog returned ten minutes later… but no Rocco.
Frantic, I rushed up the path immediately and sure enough spotted his head sticking out of the water by the bank. I managed to scramble down the steep five-metre slope, onto the rock, and hauled him out by the scruff of his neck. Rocco had broken his foreleg, and he seemed to be totally paralysed at the back end.
There was no way we could get him up that steep bank, so Maria put out a message on our local security WhatsApp group asking for help.
Help from unexpected places
Within ten minutes, three security companies arrived, plus a paramedic lady from Netcare 911 who lived nearby and saw the message and came out to help. She then called her colleague with the ambulance to come out and bring a stretcher for him. I was amazed... just amazed!
She and a big chap from ADT came down the riverbank; she splinted Rocco’s leg and they wrapped him up in a Netcare sheet. The ADT security guy, who was very strong, managed to hoist Rocco over halfway up the bank, and then another security officer on the path above lifted him the rest of the way up to safety. Another Netcare person then arrived with a stretcher. They carried him back to my car in the car park. There were seven vehicles there between ADT, Wolf and Maser, Netcare and the ambulance!
I was just blown away and so very grateful. The response was a huge credit to our local protection guys.
Rushed to hospital
Meanwhile, my other friend had contacted the local vet to get them ready. I drove Rocco straight there, where they immediately sedated the poor little soul and X-rayed him. He was so broken, but not a peep out of him, not even a whimper – he let everyone do what they needed to. (I hoped he was in shock and didn’t feel too much pain.)
He was then referred to the big Westville Veterinary Hospital in Durban as my vet said he’d need a plate to fix his leg and they could do that there, plus a scan. So my husband drove us there immediately and, two hours later, he was admitted.
Rocco spent two weeks in hospital; he had a CT scan on his back and, thank God, there was no damage detected. But we had to wait to see if mobility would return to his back legs, which it did, very slowly. So, after a few days the vets there operated and fixed the break with a plate, which is far stronger than pins. The staff were fantastic, giving me daily bulletins on his progress.
Rocco comes home
Long story short, Rocco came back home, able to potter around slowly. His right knee was already damaged when we adopted him – the vet suspected a cruciate injury at some time in the past and now nothing could be done apart from manage the pain when the inevitable arthritis set in. And, like many older Boxers, he has spondylitis – bony intervertebral bridges forming in the spine – which can interfere with the nerve signals to the hind legs. We think this is the cause of the degenerating co-ordination of his hind legs.
So he’ll never be 100%, but if we can get him back to 80%... brilliant!
Now, one month on after his discharge from Westville, he’s definitely brighter and obviously feeling better. His hind legs aren’t so wobbly, he’s slipping less, and the mended foreleg is amazing; the plate is providing miraculous support and now the bone just needs a bit more rest and time to heal.
Unfortunately, the broken front leg and bad hind leg are both on the same side, so he walks rather like a camel with a limp, but I’m keeping paws crossed that he gets the OK to exercise a little more after his follow-up X-ray next week.
A local lady has volunteered her swimming pool for some DIY hydrotherapy, and it will be wonderful to take him on gentle walks on the lead again. No more racing around like a lunatic! (Famous last words with a Boxer.) I know he misses his beach and woodland walks so much, and once he can get out and about he’ll really regain his zest for life.
My pet insurance has proved to be invaluable. So far, the bulk of R40,000 worth of treatment has been covered. Without that financial help I could never have been able to give him this care.
ADT/Fidelity published his rescue story on their Facebook page and it was in the local paper. People can be so wonderful... it restored my faith in humans!
I still can’t get over how incredibly kind everyone has been – so much compassion and caring – but then Rocco has some very special angels looking after him! And that’s as it should be; he’s just the kindest, sweetest, most wonderful friend a person could ever have. He loves everyone and every dog – such a beautiful soul. He deserves the best.
I don’t expect miracles... he’s ten now after all. I just want to give him the best quality of life I can for however long we’re blessed to have him with us. Home was so empty without him – and after surviving all this, he must be meant to stay with us for a good while yet!
