A reality TV veterinarian saved the leg of a service dog lost in training who survived in the frigid Colorado mountains for two months after several other veterinarians said it needed to be amputated, The Post has learned.
Nova Riley, a year-and-a-half-old Bernese mountain dog, was treated for multiple fractures in her leg by Dr. Jeffrey Young from the Animal Planet reality show “Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet” and his wife, Dr. Petra Mickova, after owner Robynne Simons-Sealy took the dog to a low-cost clinic without knowing it was where Young worked, told The Post in an exclusive interview.
But when Simons-Sealy, 58, found out that Planned Pethood International in Conifer, Colorado, was Young’s place, “she felt a lot better and a lot safer for herself.” [Nova].”
“Any doubt I had about his care and well-being disappeared,” she said, noting that Young treated another dog of his decades earlier.
Dr. Jeffrey Young from the television show “Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet” was able to save the “shattered” leg of the dog Nova who was lost for two months in the mountains of Colorado. Courtesy of Robynne Simons-Sealy
Nova was reunited with her owner Simons-Sealy, a married mother of two who lives in Conifer, last month after suffering a “shattered” leg from her time alone in the wild.
Simons-Sealy, who has disabilities from a rare vascular disease, had been training her dog to be a service animal.
After consulting with several veterinarians, he received “a lot of pressure” to remove the dog’s limb and was quoted $10,000 to $15,000 if he tried to save the leg, he said.
But when Simons-Sealy received a call from the clinic informing her that they wanted to save Nova’s leg, “I was ecstatic,” she recalled.
“My goal is to do my best. [to save the limb] even if it’s really bad,” Young told The Post by phone.
And the Nova case was “honestly, in my opinion, a pretty simple solution,” he said. “I would never have recommended amputation in this case.”
After surgery more than a week ago, Nova now has six pins and two bars in her leg, similar to the six pins and one plate in Simon-Sealy’s right leg. The owner said he’s “curious” that his and her four-legged companion now “match.”
Nova’s owner, Robynne Simons-Sealy, said she had spoken to other veterinarians who pressured her to amputate Nova’s leg before connecting with Young. Robynne Simons-Sealy
Young, whose show ran for eight seasons before ending in 2020, credited his wife for the success of Nova’s procedure and called the partially external leg piece “bombproof.”
“The dog walked on the leg the next day,” Young said. “Would it make sense to cut off his leg when he walks on it? I mean the dog is running all over him now. I’d rather it weren’t like that, but he jumps. There’s nothing wrong with him. But he will heal.”
Simons-Sealy spent approximately $4,000 total for her dog’s medical care between the cost of the initial emergency room visit and the surgery.
Simons-Sealy had been training Nova to be her service animal, as the owner has a rare vascular disease that causes dizziness and seizures. Robynne Simons-Sealy
Young said many times dogs lose their limbs simply for financial reasons.
“I think for a lot of veterinarians it’s all about the money,” he said. “We can fix this broken leg for $5,000 to $10,000. [Or] “We can cut off the leg for $1,000 or $2,000.”
The concerned owner doesn’t know if Nova will be able to resume her duties as a service animal as she has had trouble following commands and has been more anxious since her return, Simons-Sealy said.
Nova got scared in a parking lot and took off her harness, beginning her two months in the wild. Robynne Simons-Sealy
“I’m very excited to have her back, but I’m devastated that I lost my opportunity to have a service dog,” Simons-Sealy said.
Simons-Sealy has a rare disease called Takayasu arteritis, which causes inflammation of the major arteries and can cause an extremely low or even undetectable pulse, earning it the nickname pulseless disease.
Simons-Sealy said she doesn’t qualify for a publicly funded service animal because her condition is so rare.
Simons-Sealy and Nova met a few days before Thanksgiving. Robynne Simons-Sealy
She also can’t afford to have someone else train her furry friend, since she lives on meager disability payments. So she found a place that helped her train Nova herself.
“The reason why I want [and] “I need a service dog because the problem with blood flow to my brain can cause me dizziness,” he explained. “A dog would help me stay upright or get help when I fall.”
The illness causes seizures that are like mini strokes, one of which she suffered two days after Nova became frightened and removed her harness at the start of her two-month absence.
After Nova disappeared, Simons-Sealy spent two days searching for the dog 24 hours a day and running, overcome with stress and fatigue, triggered one of her seizures, she said.
Simons-Sealy doesn’t know if Nova will be able to be her service animal again after two harrowing months in the wild. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office/Instagram
“I sat in my car, the phone fell out of my hand and I couldn’t move,” Simons-Sealy recalled. “That’s why I need a service dog.”
“I was trapped in my car until someone saw me sitting there, not moving,” she said.
The faithful owner ended up hospitalized after the health episode.
Nova walked, ran and jumped on her leg in the days after surgery. Robynne Simons-Sealy
Then, about two months later, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, two hikers found Nova “on top of a mountain…hiding under some trees,” Simons-Sealy said.
When he met Nova, “I was just another random human.” Simons-Sealy recalled. “A few seconds passed and then [Nova] “She realized it was me and screamed: she wanted me.”
Simons-Sealy said an x-ray taken Tuesday showed things are going in the right direction for Nova, who is expected to recover in two to three months, he said.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn