TV vet saves 'shattered' dog's paw after surviving two lost months

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by priscilla degregory

A lost service dog in training who survived two months in the frigid Colorado mountains had his leg saved by a reality TV vet after multiple other vets told him it would need to be amputated, the post says. I found out from the paper report.

Nova Riley, a one-and-a-half-year-old Bernese Mountain Dog, was treated for multiple broken bones in her leg by Dr. Jeffrey Young of Animal Planet's reality show “Dr. Martin.” “Jeff: The Rocky Mountain Veterinarian” and his wife, Dr. Petra Mikova, were arrested after the dog's owner, Robin Simmons-Seeley, took the dog to a low-cost clinic without knowing that Young worked there. He told the Post in an exclusive interview.

But when Simmons-Seeley, 58, found out Planned Petfood International in Conifer, Colo., was the place for Young, she “felt so much better and felt safer.'' ” [Nova]”

“Any doubts I had about concerns for her care and welfare are gone,” she said, noting that another dog she owned decades ago was treated by Young.

Nova was reunited with her owner, Simmons Seeley, a married mother of two from Conifer, last month after she “shattered” her leg due to being alone in the wild.

Simmons-Seeley, who has a disability caused by a rare vascular disease, was training a dog to serve as a service animal.

After consulting with several veterinarians, she was under “tremendous pressure” to remove the dog's limbs, which would have cost a whopping $10,000 to $15,000 if they wanted to keep the legs. It was estimated that it would cost.

But when Simons-Seeley received the call from the clinic saying they wanted to save Nova's leg, she was “absolutely 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 a very simple solution in my head, to be honest,” he said. “I never recommended amputation in this case.”

After surgery over a week ago, Nova now has six pins and two bars in her leg, similar to the six pins and one plate in Simon Seeley's right leg. Her owner said it was “funny” that she was now “matched” with her four-legged companion.

Young, whose show ran for eight seasons before ending in 2020, credited his wife for the success of Nova's surgery, adding that the partially external leg brace was “impact resistant.” He said there is.

“The next day the dog was walking on its legs,” Young said. “Does it make sense to cut off a leg while walking on it? I mean, the dog is running on it right now. It's better not to do that, but it will jump. There's nothing wrong with it. But it'll get better.”

Simmons Seeley spent about $4,000 total on her dog's treatment, from the first emergency room visit to surgery.

Young said too often dogs lose limbs simply for economic reasons.

“I think for a lot of veterans, it's about money,” he says. “This broken leg can be repaired for $5,000 to $10,000. [Or] You can have the legs cut off for $1,000 or $2,000. ”

Simmons-Seeley said Nova has difficulty following commands and has become more anxious since her return, so her worried owners don't know if she will be able to resume her duties as a service animal.

“I'm beyond excited to have her back, but I'm devastated that her chance as a service dog is gone,” Simmons-Seeley said.

Simmons Seeley has a rare disease called Takayasu arteritis. The disease causes inflammation of major arteries and can cause a very slow or undetectable pulse, hence its nickname pulseless disease.

Simmons-Seeley said her condition is so rare that she doesn't qualify as a publicly funded service animal.

She also can't afford to have someone else train her furry friend, as she lives on meager disability benefits. So she found a place where she could train her Nova on her own.

“The reason I want it is [and] “A service dog is needed because problems with blood flow to the brain can cause dizziness,” she explained. “A dog can help you stay upright and help you get help if you fall.”

The disease causes attacks like mini-strokes, one of which she suffered two days after Nova became frightened and slipped from her harness at the start of her two-month leave.

After Nova went missing, Simmons Seeley searched for the dog 24 hours a day for two days, and she said one of the seizures was caused by the dog running around exhausted from stress and exhaustion.

“I was sitting in my car and my phone fell out of my hand and I was stuck,” Simmons-Seeley recalled. “That's why I need a service dog.”

“I was locked in the car until someone noticed that I was sitting there and not moving,” she said.

The dog's faithful owner became unwell and had to be hospitalized.

About two months later, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, two hikers found Nova “at the top of a mountain…hidden under a tree,” Simons-Seeley said.

When he reunited with Nova, “I was just another random person.” Simmons-Seeley recalls: “It took a few seconds, but then [Nova] When she realized it was me, she screamed that she wanted me. ”

Dr. Simmons Seeley said X-rays taken on Tuesday showed Nova's condition was progressing in the right direction and that she expected a full recovery in two to three months.