Submitted by J. Hudson on Mon, 09/03/2026 - 12:18
Meet Buddy, a wonderfully brave collie dog who recently faced a very serious injury. While out doing what he loves most, running around, Buddy suffered a near-complete laceration of his quadriceps tendon. This tendon is vital for straightening and supporting the back leg, making an injury of this scale potentially life-changing for an active dog like Buddy.
Buddy was brought to us as an emergency, and his recovery is a perfect example of the multi-disciplinary care we pride ourselves on here at the Queen’s Veterinary School Hospital. His journey involved the expertise of our Orthopaedic Surgery Team to meticulously repair the damaged tendon, our Specialist Anaesthesia Team to ensure Buddy remained comfortable and safe throughout his procedure and our amazing Nursing Team, who provided round-the-clock care during his stay.
To give the repair the best chance of success, our surgeons used an external skeletal fixator (ESF) - the frame you’ll see in the photo.
This stabilised his leg completely while the tendon began the delicate process of knitting back together. Buddy’s owner looked after him with incredible dedication during this period. Once the frame was removed, the hard work continued with regular physiotherapy sessions to get him moving again.
And here’s the part that truly made our day! It has been five months since Buddy’s surgery, and his owner recently sent us an update video. After such a serious injury, seeing him running around happily again is just wonderful. He is back to loving life and moving with total confidence. We are so proud of Buddy and grateful to his devoted owner for guiding him through every step of this journey. Go Buddy!
