Watch CBS News

3 On Your Side: A Puppy In Need

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--Cheyenne was a puppy in need of help. After a fall from a balcony left her leg broken, her owner couldn't afford the cost of surgery. That's when 3 On Your Side and Jim Osman stepped in and contacted a local veterinary clinic.

Cheyenne is a rambunctious puppy.

She's so full of energy that she gave her owner Kristen Kilpatrick quite a surprise when Kristen let the dog out on her second floor deck in Northeast Philadelphia.

"She weasled her way through this part of the fence," Kristen explained. "When I found her she was in the yard over here."

Cheyenne had fallen off the deck and Kristen found the dog whimpering in severe pain.

Cheyenne had broken her front leg.

Kristen was initially able to get treatment at a low cost clinic where a veterinarian put a cast on Cheyenne's leg but that was only a temporary cast.

The problem was Kristen was out of work and didn't have the money to pay for the surgery that the dog desperately needed.

"She means a lot to me," said Kristen.

Cheyenne's life is on the line and in order to survive and have a viable existence she needed the surgery.

Kristen's mother knew the situation was serious and she called 3 On Your Side.

We contacted doctors at the Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center in Langhorne, PA.

Watch the video...

Surgeons there agreed to do the surgery at no charge.

Each year at this time the Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center picks an ailing pet of a struggling family to treat at no charge.

"That's the nice thing about being able to do something like this for the holidays," said Dr. Garret Pachtinger who is a Board Certified Emergency and Critical Care Specialist at the vet center.

Doctors x-rayed the injury and evaluated Cheyenne to be sure that she is a good candidate for the surgery.

The whole ordeal is overwhelming Cheyenne's owner as she waits.

Finally doctors tell her that her puppy can have the surgery.

The procedure to repair the leg lasted for several hours.

"Things went well in the surgery today and we were able to place a screw and pin in there to stabilize the bone and joint," said Dr. Pachtinger. "The goal is to allow the fracture to heal as quickly as possible."

Kristen is thrilled and thankful.

"There's no words I could even say and I am very grateful for them to even help me," said Kristen about the hospital's staff. "I wasn't expecting anything to happen and I'm very grateful my Mom contacted you guys and very grateful you guys have found somebody."

For more on Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center in Langhorne, click here.

Reported by Jim Osman, CBS3

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.