After years of tracking offenders and keeping his community safe, Hawke’s Bay police dog Xargus is taking a well-earned break – this time to recover from major back surgery.
Earlier this year, the five-and-a-half-year-old patrol and Armed Offenders dog started showing signs of pain after extended or bigger efforts, such as tracking.
His handler, Constable Jaymi Oxley, says the alarm was raised for him when Xargus started yelping and whining when jumping or sprinting.
Despite a few trips to the vet and animal physio no-one was able to diagnose the problem.
So, Jaymi and Xargus took a trip to Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa, Massey University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Palmerston North, for a CT scan of his spine and hips. He was diagnosed with degenerative lumbar sacral stenosis, a condition affecting the lower spine that caused him pain when he jumped or ran.
“The surgeon was very pleased we discovered the issue when we did, because he was certain Xargus would need to retire ASAP if intervention didn't occur,” says Jaymi.
To fix the issue, Xargus needed a custom implant to be made and installed over his lumbar sacral joint to decompress and stabilise it. The implant was fabricated over the next month and sent to Massey where, on 23 October, Xargus underwent the spinal surgery.
“When the specialist opened him up and saw the extent of the damage, he was amazed that Xargus was able to walk at all before the surgery," says Jaymi. "He said Xargus must be an extremely tough and pain-tolerant dog.”
Thankfully, the surgery went smoothly and Xargus was up and walking independently before the day ended - albeit wobbly and slowly. Jaymi has stayed with him throughout. (It's Jaymi's leg Xargus is resting his front paw on in recovery in the picture above.)
He is now on at least two weeks of kennel rest before starting any form of exercise or training again. All going well, his recovery is expected to take anywhere from six to 12 weeks.
During this recovery period, Jaymi says Xargus will be on leave and not working operationally.
“His days will consist of enjoying daily yoga and massage sessions, sipping his favourite drinks (water), and eating his favourite food, (kibble).”