A 1-year-old dog went into emergency surgery Sunday night at the Animal Care Clinic in Vancouver to clean up a bullet wound in her face.
Cricket, a Queensland heeler and pit bull mix, was driven from Modesto, Calif., to the Vancouver-based animal rescue organization Panda Paws Rescue of Vancouver on Saturday after the rescue organization was alerted. She had an entrance wound on the right side of her face and an exit wound behind her head, between her ears, said Panda Paws founder Amanda Giese.
Surgery was originally scheduled for Monday, but Cricket lost so much blood, she became anemic and needed immediate attention. There were still bullet fragments lodged in her face, Giese said. Dr. Brandon Sherman cleaned out the wound, sewed it up and stabilized her vitals; surgery lasted from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. Sunday.
Severed nerves paralyzed the right side of Cricket’s face and her ear drum was ruptured. As a result, she has some balance issues, can’t hear well and can’t blink, “smile” or move her ear on her right side, Giese said. So far, Panda Paws does not know the extent of Cricket’s injuries or how she got them.
