Lawnmowers can be dangerous to operate, for those using them as well as people nearby; we have seen countless
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In June last year, Ralph Goldstein and his daughter were walking his niece’s dog, Orla, across Putney Common when a ride-on lawnmower came towards them, seemingly out of nowhere. Ralph and his daughter managed to run out of the way in time, but cockapoo Orla was not so lucky, becoming entangled in the blades of the machine and suffering horrific injuries, leading to the amputation of her front left paw. Ralph was then injured trying to free the dog, and had to have metal pins in his fingers. Orla has been lucky enough to be treated at innovative veterinary surgery Fitzpatrick Referrals, as featured in the Channel 4 series Supervet, and she now has a prosthetic limb. Mr Goldstein has been compensated to the tune of £28,000 by Putney Cricket Club, who owned and were responsible for the riding lawnmower that caused the injuries; £6,000 of this was to cover the surgical bills for Orla’s prosthetic paw.
Another unlucky dog suffered the loss of two limbs as the result of a collision with a lawnmower; two-year-old stray Shila lost both her back legs below the knee, but found a change of fortune when she was taken in by vets in Poland, who discovered she was also pregnant and suffering from pneumonia. Shila’s case was so heartbreaking that they started a campaign to fund the lifesaving treatment she needed, as well as saving her puppies. The prosthetic limbs will be created using 3-D printing technology, and attached to titanium implants in the remaining leg bones. Shila will then have stem cells harvested in order to speed up the healing process around her new legs. Once Shila starts to walk, vets will assess the prosthetics and use 3-D printing to create bespoke artificial paws that will give her back her mobility.
In Iowa a passer-by found a young kitten, believed to be around 5 weeks old, with terrible injuries. The left rear leg was missing below the knee, but was also broken further up, and she had skin missing from her back; the nature of these injuries led vets to believe she had been run over by a lawnmower. The left rear leg was amputated and the wound on her back repaired, and within two days she was running around like nothing had ever happened, despite being left with just three legs. The person who found the kitten has adopted her, leaving a happy ending to a story that could have ended so differently had she not been found.
In Australia, compassion for the native wildlife led Queensland resident Min Tims to go to great lengths to save an outback green tree frog she had run over with her lawnmower. Her niece researched frog rescue and found the Cairns Frog Hospital. Despite this being hundreds of miles away, Tims had to get help for the frog, so Rex Airways donated space on a flight to save the frog. Another company, that makes pet travelling containers, donated a special container and packed the injured frog in safely. On arrival at the airport, a volunteer couriered the frog to the hospital, where he received treatment for the injuries he sustained as well as an underlying health condition, explaining why he was lying on the lawn during the day. He is doing well, and despite losing an eye, is living a comfortable life in the hospital frog sanctuary. It just goes to show how a little compassion can go a long way, even inspiring help from others who come together for the same cause.