Miracle puppy from Bushey is on road to recovery

A Bushey puppy that was involved in a catastrophic accident before Christmas is on the mend. Ruby, an eight-month-old Doberman, is owned by Adam and Sallie Gilbery from Bushey Heath. Adam’s father Neil took the pup and the family’s other dog for a walk in King George Recreation Ground in late December. A greyhound rushed past Ruby and the two dogs raced round the park so quickly that Ruby crashed into a large bush as she tried to turn a corner.  The greyhound then fell on top of her, breaking two of the bones in one of her front legs. “Ruby was screaming in pain and clearly badly hurt,” explained Sallie. “When I arrived it was hard to tell who was more shocked, Ruby or Neil.  They were both in a terrible state.  We took her at once to our local vet, Goddards in Edgware, but, once they had X-rayed her and seen the damage to her leg, they sent us straight to the Mandeville Veterinary Hospital in Northolt.” Michael Hamilton, one of the country’s top leading orthopaedic veterinary surgeons, inserted a metal plate onto one of the broken bones and holding the other one together with metal pins and external scaffolding. She has since had to undergo several weeks of very restricted exercise but the family hopes that in a few weeks the pins will be removed and she will go on to make a full recovery. Sallie added: “From the initial shock of the accident and the fear of knowing what the consequences might be, the whole experience has been very difficult for my family, as well as for Ruby. “On the positive side, it has shown us what a lovely dog she is because she has endured so much pain and discomfort and never complained.  Now, as her leg is starting to get better, she’s getting frustrated because she wants to go out and play – but we’re doing our best to keep her calm.  We hope she won’t have to wait too much longer and we’re so grateful that Michael was able to save her leg.   We are looking forward to being able to take her out for walks again with our many dog- walking friends in King George Park.”