Fort Lauderdale

Dog That Survived Being Hit By Truck Gets New Prosthetic Leg

Maggie, an eight-year-old Labrador, nearly died after being struck by a truck last year

A dog that survived being struck by a truck in Fort Lauderdale is back on its feet thanks to a custom prosthetic leg.

Maggie, an eight-year-old Labrador, is back to wagging her tail and putting her best paw forward with the new leg courtesy Lauderdale Veterinary Specialists.

It was a rough experience last November when Maggie almost died after being hit by the truck near Las Olas Boulevard and Coconut Isle Drive.

"He walked her out front to use the bathroom and she stepped out from behind a hedge and there was a truck coming down the street and hit her," owner John Brophy said. "Well, I thought I lost her, she went into shock on the way here. Her tongue kind of hung out and her eyes rolled back."

"She unfortunately was hit by a speeding vehicle in her neighborhood and sustained severe trauma to her leg and we subsequently had to amputate her, ankle down," said Dr. Jennifer Bibevski, with Lauderdale Veterinary Specialists.

It was a long road with multiple surgeries and months of recovery but Maggie has quickly taken to her new custom prosthetic leg from Orthopets.

"Going from that low point to where she is almost, her quality of life is almost back to a hundred percent now," Brophy said.

"Maggie took to it amazingly. She just wants to get out and run so much better than we anticipated and a lot faster," Bibevski said.

Good Samaritans and the Pet's Tree of Hope Fund, created by the clinic, helped foot the bill of the costly treatment. It's all worth it for Brophy, who says Maggie is more than just a pet.

"She's like my child. And we were blessed to have her help take care of my mother, so that alone and she's been with me the last four years," he said.

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