B.C. blood donor dog that has saved many lives gets free surgery
A dog that has made life-saving blood donations in the past has now received a good deed in return after having a surgical operation on Monday.
A medical team performed a knee surgery on Norman, a four-and-a-half-year-old mastiff, as a thank-you for the past generosity shown by Norman and other mastiffs owned by Nanaimo's Jeff King.
"Norman's given a lot to his local community and so the hospital here is helping cover the cost of the surgery," says Tim Preston, a surgeon at the Central Island Veterinary Emergency Hospital.
Preston says surgeries of that nature are in the neighbourhood of $8,500 and make up the majority of the operations he does.
The medical devices inserted into Norman also came as a donation, supplied by the manufacturer Arthrex.
"The operation is designed one way or another to stabilize the knee and the way that occurs is by us rotating the top of the shin bone down so that we effectively change the bio-mechanics of the knee so he doesn't need an ACL anymore," Preston says.
While the decision to give the surgery to Norman was an easy one, dealing with the large-breed dog was not.
"Norman is over 90 kilograms. He's effectively the weight of I guess a large male so we've got five people, six including myself, that are going to be moving him physically."
That included lifting him on and off X-ray tables and operating tables.
"It's a challenge during his recovery in making sure he's able to stand. we have some hoists and other things to help him that are designed for humans," he says.
It is also because of Norman's size that he and the other mastiffs in his household have been able to give blood so generously to other dogs in need.
"Like in humans, there are different blood types, and so it's important that the animals are properly typed and cross-matched,” he says.
After the one-hour-and-45-minute surgery, Norman was carried out of the operating room to begin his recovery and was expected to be released back to his owner on Tuesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.