Byline: CATHERINE TURNELL
A CHARITY has helped put the smiles back on the face of a Coventry dog owner and her young son after coming to the rescue of their injured pet.
In June, Tina Bines and her son Kieran of Coundon, found their eight- year-old bitch Bella trapped beneath a heavy garden ornament that her lead had been tied to. The dog's left hind leg had been crushed as the 5ft stone pillar fell on her.
Bella, a collie-German shepherd cross, was taken to the PDSA PetAid Hospital in Barker Butts Lane, Coundon, where X-rays showed the dog's shinbone had been fractured in several places.
To stabilise the broken bone, the PDSA attached an external fixator - a frame of pins and wire - to Bella's leg and she was kept in hospital for two days. She was discharged with painkillers, antibiotics and orders of strict rest.
The veterinary charity, which last year treated 26,000 injured pets across Coventry, has since given Bella's steady progress the 'thumbs up'.
Miss Bines said: 'Thanks to the PDSA she is on the road to recovery. Bella has coped well with learning to live with the external fixator. At first she was bumping into things but now she is getting around fine.'
PDSA vet Rob Ingle said: 'Bella was checked four days after the operation and she was bearing weight on the leg and there was no sign of any infection. The bone is healing slowly but there have been no problems.
'Bella has a lovely character - she is very placid and quiet. We are hoping to move the external fixator soon, once we are happy the bone has healed.'
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SHAGGY DOG STORY: Tina Bines and Kieran with Bella, who is recovering from her broken leg. Picture: CHRIS RADBURN
