Ilke

Age: 1 year
Breed: Doberman

All pets have a story. Some have a story with a rough beginning. Their path to a loving, forever home does not come without challenges. Fortunately there are people who dedicate their lives to helping these sweet animals find their way to comfort, joy and health. Ilke’s story is like this. Abandoned and found on the side of the road, this gentle Doberman had a severely broken leg. Facing euthanasia she was rescued from the shelter by Northern California Doberman Rescue who took her to a local clinic and funded her surgery and treatment.

It would seem that the next step was to find Ilke a home. And this is how Ilke found her way to BRVC. Dr. Leanne Taylor had been in contact with Northern California Doberman Rescue since she was interested in fostering a Dobie. So before Ilke was ever placed in a foster home she found herself convalescing in the home of a veterinarian. But Ilke’s difficulties were not yet over. It is a giant stroke of luck that Dr. Taylor was the person who took her in.

It was apparent right away that he surgical repair on her leg was done incorrectly. The pins used to repair her fracture were placed incorrectly and she could not even extend her leg all the way. Dr. Taylor called Surgical Specialist Dr. Carl Koehler, who consults often on BRVC cases. Not only were the pins, misplaced but the leg was still fractured. Within 48 hours of being picked up by Dr. Taylor, Ilke was in surgery to fix her leg properly.

Once in surgery it became apparent that a deep infection had set into Ilke’s leg bones and joint. A culture was taken and sent to the lab for analysis. The surgery was successful and Ilke’s leg was finally set properly. She was placed on a strong dose of antibiotics to combat the infection—the hope being that she would heal well enough to avoid amputation.

It was tough going at first. Ilke needed to be kept calm and have limited movement. She needed frequent recheck x-rays. Thank goodness her new human mom was an amazing veterinarian! While her fracture was healing well, the bone infection was aggressive. Even after 6 weeks of antibiotics, the bone was being eaten away. Dr. Taylor decided to switch to a new medication to combat the insistent infection.

​​​​​​​It is now 9 weeks since her second surgery and Ilke is healing incredibly well. She loves to run and leap around like a gazelle, according to Dr. Taylor. In 3 more weeks she is expected to be fully healed. After that she will have one more surgery to remove the plate from her leg, be spayed, and have a gastropexy performed (a preventive measure against bloat). If Dr. Taylor had not been the in the right place at the right time, chances are Ilke would have gone septic and had to be euthanized. Not only did Dr. Taylor save Ilke’s life with astute and practical veterinary medicine, she also saved her by giving her a safe foster home to recover in. All Ilke needs now is to find her forever family and home. Ilke’s story may have had a rough start but thanks to the dedication of the individuals at Northern California Doberman Rescue and Dr. Taylor and Dr. Koehler she is on her way to her very own Happily Ever After!