Lexus is lucky to be alive.
The sixth-month-old St. Bernard puppy ran onto Lougheed Highway and was hit by a car along with two other similar looking dogs.
The accident happened January 18 at around 10:30 p.m., somewhere between 256th and 272nd streets.
Lexus was rushed to the Abbotsford Valley Animal Emergency Clinic by a good Samaritan who hit her, and she was stabilized over night.
“The good Samaritan hit one [dog], which is Lexus, and the lady behind him hit one. But the dog she hit jumped up and bolted and they couldn’t find the dog,” said Jodi Dunlop, branch manager of the Maple Ridge SPCA.
“They called, but it was pitch black and they didn’t hear anything,” said Dunlop adding that it likely wasn’t injured since it got up and kept running.
Lexus, meanwhile, has a long road ahead of her.
She suffered broken ribs, a fractured front leg, ligament damage to her back leg and can’t walk without help.
Now at the Dewdney Animal Hospital, Lexus spent Monday in surgery, fixing the front leg fracture, and she will need at least one more surgery before she will be able to fully recover.
Once the front leg is stabilized with pins and she is able to bear her weight with pain medication, then she will be able to have her back leg fixed.
“It will probably take four to six weeks of rehab before they even consider doing the other leg because they want to make sure she is weight bearing on that leg and it’s healing properly,” explained Dunlop.
“It’s really hard, especially with a giant breed of dog. You want to get those legs, rather than amputating them, you want to try and fix them if possible, because she is going to be a big girl,” she said of Lexus, who is already over 60 pounds.
The good Samaritan who brought Lexus to the vet has been traumatized by the incident and calls almost every day to see how the St. Bernard is doing.
Dunlop is grateful to the vets who are working on Lexus because they discounted the surgeries.
But medical costs could still exceed $8,000, with rehabilitation and pre-surgery treatment.
Once Lexus has finished her surgeries, she will likely be in foster care for two to three months before being put up for adoption.
The B.C. SPCA is a non-profit organization that relies on public donations.
• To help Lexus or other animals you can donate online at spca.bc.ca/medicalemergency or in person at 10235 Jackson Rd., Maple Ridge.