K9 bomb sniffer back on duty
Mar 27, 2018, 1:33 PM | Updated: Jun 7, 2022, 4:00 pm
BALTIMORE, MD — A four-legged member of the fire department in Annapolis, Maryland is back on the job. “Rudy” is a bomb-sniffing K-9 who was sidelined by a leg injury for a while, but he’s ready to get back to work again.
For 12 weeks, Veterinary Orthopedic & Sports Medicine has been helping the off-the-job pup nurse a leg injury back to health.
Rehabilitation doctor, Nina Prill said, “He has taken to the exercises, the handlers been excellent about doing the home exercise program. One of the big things with our TPLOs (tibial-plateau-leveling osteotomy) is that they feel really good right away, but you don’t want them to overdo it.”
Rudy was in the operating room back in December as surgeons repaired his injury, similar to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear in a human.
The expensive procedure and physical therapy was entirely funded by Project Go.
“The whole goal of Project go is to find a way that we can help these animals get the help they need and deserve financially, get treated, get through the rehab, and get back to work again,” Dr. Sherman Canapp, Project Go.
Rudy’s rehab included an underwater treadmill and some peanut butter motivation to keep him moving.
Dr Prill said, “He has had a lot of energy. when he comes in here, he can be full of beans. But he’s very willing to work as well.”
At his final check-up, Rudy was bearing weight and gaining back muscle.
The results were up to snuff for the professional sniffer who can get back to protecting the community he serves.
Rudy will gradually ease back into work and he should be able to resume his full workload in up to six weeks.
