The Story of Trucker *KY3 Local News Story about Trucker - 05/13/2005- 154KB   *KY3 Local News Story about Trucker - 04/14/2005- 180KB   *KY3 Local News Story about Trucker - 04/08/2005 -  90KB   *KY3 Local News Story about Trucker - 03/16/2005 - 110KB     *Free Adobe Reader Required On March 4, 2005, a policeman brought Trucker to the Emergency Veterinary Clinic of Southwest Missouri with severe head injuries resulting from being shot with a nail gun and then being hit with a hammer. A neighbor witnessed the incident and notified police. Here is an excerpt from the clinic’s report to the police: "The patient was an approximately 8-12 months, intact male heeler mix that was suffering from severe head trauma. The patient was depressed, had multiple lacerations on his head and neck. A nail was protruding from his left cheek. His left eye was swollen closed. His right pupil was dilated and not responsive to light. It was later determined when the patient was under anesthesia that his eye was ruptured (had a hole in it). The patient was given medication and stabilized (IV fluids, antibiotics). Radiographs revealed 2 - 3 inch nails that were in the patient’s head. Once the patient was stable, he was anesthetized. The nail in the patient’s left cheek was removed fairly easily with a pair of pliers. The nail that was in the top of his head was very difficult to remove because it was deeply imbedded in the patient’s brain." "Minor surgery was performed to repair lacerations. The laceration on his neck was deep and required a drain. His right upper carnassial tooth was fractured. The patient recovered from anesthesia and was kept in our critical care facility for 5 days before he was stable enough to be released to a rescue organization for abused animals. While the patient was hospitalized he was maintained on IV fluids, IV antibiotics, pain medications and anti-inflammatories. He also received nursing care. The patient has continued to recover slowly although he is blind in his left eye (and will probably need additional surgery to remove the eye) and is also deaf. This patient’s temperament throughout his hospitalization has been very mild mannered. He has been in a lot of pain and has NEVER offered to bite. …..I am currently trying to get the patient into C.A.R.E. (Castaway Animal Rescue Effort ….) for further rehabilitation and eventually adoption. The patient has been nicknamed ‘Trucker’ because he keeps on trucking." Trucker is now at C.A.R.E.’s Adoption Center at 1328 W. Sunshine in Springfield where he is slowly recuperating from his wounds. He patiently sits in his pen and seems to appreciate everyone’s efforts to help him be comfortable. He loves to be petted and scratched—his wounds are a little itchy. He especially enjoys walks out in the sunshine. Trucker will be undergoing additional rehabilitation and will have to undergo additional surgeries while in our care over the next couple of months. During this time we will be working with him to teach him hand signals to better communicate and understand his new family. We will start our screening process for potential adopters with an application that will be appearing on our website shortly. If you’re interested come by and visit with Trucker. He will appreciate your company, and you can also submit your application at that time. We will provide updates on Trucker’s progress on this website. Make donations with PayPal - it's fast, free, and secure! Please note: Due to the large volume of emails received, we may not be able to respond to all of the inquiries we receive in a timely fashion. Please bear with us; we will respond to as many as possible as soon as we can. Be sure to check this website for updates as they become available. Contact Us Thank You for your support!