Albany’s Bush Animal Clinic steps into new territory with its first furry prosthetic patient

ALBANY – The Rutledge family knew something was wrong when one of their dogs returned home without the other. 

Two of their dogs, Lilly and Lexie, are “thick as thieves” and went missing together on June 19, until the same night when Lilly came home, hot, panting and without Lexie. James Rutledge, the family’s 18-year-old son, said they spent hours searching but ultimately had to end the night with no sign of Lexie, the family’s 5-year-old black lab. 

“We all had to go to bed with stress in our hearts,” he said. 

They woke up the next day to a message from Lee County Animal Control: Lexie had been hit by a car and found in a ditch on Old Leesburg Road. The family sped to retrieve her. The person who accidentally hit her had stuck by her, offering her water and waiting for the family’s arrival. 

“When we saw Lexie, she didn’t look great, but she was OK, and she was alive,” Rutledge said. “I picked her up with all of my strength to get her in the car, and we started rushing toward Bush Animal Clinic.” 

Lexie’s right leg was severely broken, and Dr. Amber Love, with Bush, said it was “too far gone” to save. Lexie’s left leg suffered radial nerve damage from her elbow down, making her unable to bear weight. Doctors and Lexie’s family pondered what her quality of life would look like. They worried how she would handle her new immobility. However, Lexie hasn’t lost her motivation, and veterinarians at Bush decided to step into new territory for the clinic. Lexie is now the clinic’s first patient to use a prosthetic leg. 

“Most animals in her case would give up and say, ‘Hey, I’m not going to do this anymore,’” Love said. “But it hasn’t slowed her down. She’s just so happy. She hasn’t given up.” 

It’s been about three months since Lexie’s incident, and she just entered her second week using the prosthetic leg. Love said immediately after her surgery, she couldn’t stand or walk at all. She’d lay on her side and slip and flop around. 

Three months later, on a Monday at Bush Animal Clinic, she scrambled through a doorway on three legs to accept pets from both new and familiar faces. Without her prosthetic, she hobbles, using her bent left elbow to support her weight. Her mouth hangs open in a slobbery grin, and she shows off a bone as she flops on her back for belly scratches. 

“That’s Lexie,” Don Rutledge, Lexie and James Rutledge’s dad, said. “That’s always been Lexie. Her attitude hasn’t changed at all. She loves on everybody, and she keeps trying to improve her condition.” 

Lexie has been staying at Bush Animal Clinic during her recovery. The Rutledges tried to bring her home a few days after her amputation, but Don Rutledge said it was a train wreck once she saw her sisters and fellow pups, Lilly and Luna. 

“It’s a reckless abandon of all her safety when she’s around her sisters,” he said. “Her elbow was not OK. She is too spirited for healing.” 

The family visits her regularly. James Rutledge said when they come home smelling like her, the other dogs get excited, recognizing that she’s OK. 

Lexie has made herself at home at Bush Animal Clinic. She has a large pillow under Love’s desk. She was dressed up in a birthday party hat for Love’s child’s birthday. She plays with other dogs and is the first dog in the morning to wake up to go outside. 

Keeping Lexie at Bush Animal Clinic also allows staff to work closely with her as she heals and gets used to her new prosthetic. Lexie’s prosthetic goes on her left, injured leg. It was created by Bionic Pets, a Virginia-based company that offers orthotic and prosthetic devices for animals. Bush sent Bionic Pets a mold of her left leg that allowed them to develop a prosthetic with unique alterations that allows Lexie to more easily maneuver with only three legs. 

Love said it can take animals that are missing a limb a few months to gain confidence and learn how to move and walk around again. A lot of it, she said, is based on the personality of the dog.

“Lexie’s doing amazing with it; she’s getting around,” Love said. “She even wants to stand up just on her hind legs and tries to walk on those as well. She just has the will to live.”

Because of Lexie’s success, Love said the clinic is thinking about developing a prosthetic for her missing leg using a 3D printing device. 

“I don’t know if it’s possible, but we’re definitely going to try,” she said. 

The Rutledge’s have been supportive of Bush’s plans for Lexie’s recovery every step of the way. At first, they were told she might need to use a wheeled apparatus, but when they heard about the prosthetic, they jumped at the opportunity. 

Don Rutledge said he sees her improve each time he visits her. 

James Rutledge said it was important that they listened to Lexie when it came to her healing. 

“Lexie has communicated to the best of her ability that she’s got a lot of life to live, and she’s going to give it her best go,” he said. 

“The driving force has been her attitude,” Don Rutledge said. “I know she’s a canine, but her outlook is positive and is guiding this journey. How do you give up on an animal that’s trying this hard? She’s not giving up on us so we’re not giving up on her.” 

In three months, an empty, Lexie-shaped space has formed within the Rutledge household. James Rutledge said family time hasn’t been the same without their most affectionate member. 

Before her injury, Lexie was the affectionate lover of the household. She loved to be outside and was the guard dog of the yard, running the perimeter, chasing possums and raccoons. 

The Rutledge family knows there will be changes when she returns home. They’re prepared to install ramps to allow her to get around the house more easily. They’ll have to keep an eye on her playfulness.

“We’re going to take our time, and keep a constant eye on her,” Don Rutledge said. “We’re going to do everything we can. I’m absolutely 100% fine with having a happy, three-legged dog.”

“We’re just thankful for Bush Animal Clinic,” James Rutledge said. “She’s getting endless love and endless treatment. We trust them for the sake of Lexie’s health.” 

Bush Animal Clinic has Lexie taking Omega 3 supplements to aid in nerve growth to see if she can regain more use of her left leg. Love said they are constantly working with her and plan to update their social media pages during her journey to recovery. 

“Our goal is to get her back running again,” Love said. 

She said Lexie’s journey with prosthetics signals a step forward for Bush Animal Clinic as well. 

“It’s going to open doors for us as veterinarians and for having our furry friends walk again,” Love said.