A service dog lost in training that survived the frigid Colorado mountains for two months had its leg saved by a reality TV vet — after several other vets said it needed to be amputated, The Post has learned.
Nova Riley – a one and a half year old Bernese Mountain Dog – was treated for multiple broken legs by Dr. Jeffrey Young from the Animal Planet reality show “Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet” and his wife Dr. Petra Mickova after owner Robynne Simons-Sealy took the dog to a low-cost clinic without knowing where Young worked, she told The Post in an exclusive interview.
But when Simons-Sealy, 58, found Planned Pethood International in Conifer, Colo. is Young’s place, he “felt much better and safer to [Nova].”
“Any doubts I had about concern for his care and welfare disappeared,” she said, noting another dog she owned decades earlier had been treated by Young.
Dr. Jeffrey Young from the television show “Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet” was able to save the “broken” leg of dog Nova who was lost for two months in the mountains of Colorado. Courtesy of Robynne Simons-Sealy
Nova was reunited with her owner Simons-Sealy – a married mother of two who lives in Conifer – last month after suffering a “broken” leg since she was alone in the wild.
Simons-Sealy – who has a disability due to a rare vascular disease – has trained her dog to be a service animal.
After consulting with several vets he received “a lot of pressure” to remove the dog’s limb and was quoted a loss of $10,000 to $15,000 if he tried to save the leg, he said.
But when Simons-Sealy got the call from the clinic saying they wanted to save Nova’s leg, “I was so happy,” she recalls.
“My goal is that I will give my best [to save the limb] even though it was really bad,” Young told The Post by phone.
And Nova’s case was “honestly a pretty easy fix in my mind,” he said. “I would not recommend amputation in this case.”
After surgery more than a week ago, Nova now has six pins and two bars in her leg, similar to the six pins and plates in Simon-Sealy’s right leg. The owner says it’s “funny” that his four-legged friend and he are now “matched”.
Nova’s owner Robynne Simons-Sealy said she had spoken with another vet who urged her to amputate Nova’s legs before coming in contact with Young. Robynne Simons-Sealy
Young — whose show ran for eight seasons before ending in 2020 — praised his wife for the success of Nova’s procedure and said the semi-external leg brace was “bombproof.”
“The dog was walking on his feet the next day,” Young said. “Does it make sense to cut a leg when walking on it? I mean the dog is running on it right now. I’d rather it not be, but it jumps. There is nothing wrong. But it will heal.”
Simons-Sealy spent about $4,000 total on her dog’s medical care between the cost of the initial emergency room visit and surgery.
Simons-Sealy has trained Nova to be her service animal because her owner has a rare vascular disease that causes her to feel dizzy and have seizures. Robynne Simons-Sealy
Young said many times dogs lose their limbs simply for financial reasons.
“I think for most vets it’s about the money,” he said. “We can fix this broken leg for $5,000 to $10,000. [Or] we can cut off a leg for $1,000 or $2,000.”
Concerned owners don’t know if Nova will be able to continue her duties as a service animal because she has trouble following commands and has become more anxious since her return, Simons-Sealy said.
Nova freaks out in the parking lot and slips out of her harness — beginning her two months in the wilderness. Robynne Simons-Sealy
“I’m so excited to have him back but devastated that my chance to be a service dog is gone,” Simons-Sealy said.
Simons-Sealy has a rare disease called Takayasu arteritis, which causes inflammation of a major artery and can cause a very low or even undetectable pulse – making it a pulseless disease.
Simons-Sealy said she doesn’t qualify for a publicly funded service animal because her disease is so rare.
Simons-Sealy and Nova reunited a few days before Thanksgiving. Robynne Simons-Sealy
He also can’t afford to have someone else train his furry friend because he lives on meager disability payments. So he found a place that helped him train Nova himself.
“Because I want [and] need a service dog because the blood flow problem to my brain can make me dizzy,” he explained. “A dog will help me stay upright or get help when I fall.”
The disease caused her seizures to resemble mini-strokes, one of which she had two days after Nova freaked out and slipped out of her harness beginning her two-month absence.
After Nova disappeared, Simons-Sealy spent two days searching for the dog and running alone with the stress and exhaustion causing one of them to have a seizure, she said.
Simons-Sealy doesn’t know if Nova will be able to be her service animal again after the dog’s two months in the wild. Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office/Instagram
“I was sitting in my car, the phone fell out of my hand and I couldn’t move,” Simons-Sealy said. “That’s why I need a service dog.”
“I was stuck in my car until someone realized I was sitting there, not moving,” he said.
The loyal owner ended up being hospitalized after a health episode.
Nova was walking, running and jumping on her feet in the days following surgery. Robynne Simons-Sealy
Then about two months later, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, two hikers found Nova “at the top of the mountain … hiding under some trees,” Simons-Sealy said.
When he is reunited with Nova, “I’m another random human.” Simons-Sealy recalled. “It took a few seconds and then [Nova] realized it was me and screamed, he wants me.”
Simons-Sealy said that X-rays taken on Tuesday showed that things are moving in the right direction for Nova, who is expected to heal in two to three months, she said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
