A sheep dog who suffered horrific facial injuries and multiple fractures of the jaw after being hit by a car has had her face rebuilt by Cave Veterinary Specialists.
Graphic photographs taken after the hit-and-run collision show the extensive impact trauma suffered by three-year-old Border Collie Pearl.
But just eight weeks later, the working sheepdog was back in the fields thanks to the painstaking efforts of Annabel McFadzean at the veterinary hospital.
Annabel, a veterinary specialist in dental and oral surgery, is delighted by the positive outcome but admitted that Pearl’s dramatic injuries were both shocking and challenging to treat.
Despite the challenge, the operation was a complete success and now Pearl is back doing what she loves with her owner, farmer Lucy Ballard, from Wadebridge, Cornwall.
Annabel said: “Pearl suffered severe maxillofacial trauma with multiple maxillary (jaw) fractures and multiple fractured teeth.
“The upper part of her jaw was basically detached from her face. She had bone, dental and soft tissue damage which all needed to be urgently addressed.
“Her soft tissue injuries were so extensive over the upper jaw that there was concern whether it would survive.
“We were also concerned that Pearl would require multiple procedures to enable her to fully recover.”
A CT scan of Pearl’s head and a detailed oral examination were carried out to accurately access the full extent of the severe trauma she had suffered and help plan for the challenging surgery she required.
Annabel added: “First of all Pearl needed multiple dental extractions with all her upper incisor teeth removed as they had undergone root fracture injuries.
“We were able to save both her injured canine teeth, though, by performing root canal treatments on them as they had lost their blood supply in the trauma.
“The detailed dental work was then followed by the application of an intraoral wire and splint to repair her upper jaw and restore it into its normal position. Finally, the widespread soft tissue damage was repaired.
“Everything went well, and Pearl recovered positively from the operation and was soon allowed home under strict orders for complete rest for two months.
“She then returned to us to have the splint in her jaw removed as the bones had now healed.
“Miraculously, the soft tissue had also healed without complications and she was able to return to work soon afterwards.
“Pearl’s recovery has been truly remarkable. I’m delighted, not just that she can function again but that she’s been able to get back to work herding the sheep!”
Describing the accident, Lucy said: “It was the most horrendous day of my life, to be honest. Seeing my dog being hit in the face by a car is the worst thing I have seen.
“She isn’t just a pet, she’s my work colleague and is such a happy thing, so to see that happen was awful.
“We don’t have specialist vets in our area, so our local vets stabilised her and we took her to Cave. That is the day I met Annabel, the lady who I will forever be grateful for. She is the real-life supervet, honestly.
“I can never thank any of them enough. The moment I sat down in the room and met Annabel, immediately she said ‘It’ll be fine. I’m going to fix her for you.’ She’s just been amazing the whole way through. I am eternally grateful to Cave and Annabel.
“Pearl is phenomenal. She’s the most stoic, joyous little dog in the world, and by far my dog of a lifetime.”