Oso is a 3-4 month old mixed breed puppy that was brought in by his “owners” for a fractured jaw (possibly due to being hit by a car). After leaving him for the day for hospitalization, they never returned. Oso has pretty much won the hearts of everyone at the clinic!! His fractured jaw was repaired last week (I got to see the entire procedure!) and the nails stabilizing his bones are due to be taken out in a month. The poor thing had fractured both sides of his lower mandible as well as the symphysis. He still needs a forever home 😉
Dogs that have been hit by a car are a fairly common occurrence at the clinic. That’s a change from what I’m used to in the US. Also, we see lots of pyometra and skin cancer. I have some theories here! First, dogs are out in the street more often here. It’s not uncommon for an owned dog to not have a collar or a leash. The owners just anticipate it will follow them. I think this is why HBC (hit by car) are more common. As far as pyometra goes, spaying/neutering is far less common which is likely the reason we see a pyometra every day. Yes, you read that right. There has been a pyometra case every day since I’ve been here!! Quito is at a high altitude where the UV rays are much stronger. This is my theory as to why skin cancer is more prevalent. Also combined with the fact that most dogs are outside dogs, that makes my theory more likely!
In other news, I tried ecuadorian Chinese food on Monday when some students and I decided to go out for lunch. Chaulafan de chancho was the name of the dish and it was delicious! Let’s just say it tastes more ecuadorian than Chinese though.
Stay tuned as I’m going to the beach this weekend 🙂
Welcoming Wanderlust 