BURBANK : Injured Puppy Needs Public’s Aid for Surgery

Lucky, a German shepherd puppy, had a stroke of good luck when he was taken to a Burbank rescue shelter after being hit by a car.

Now he will need more good luck--and a helping hand from the public--if he is going to recover from his serious injuries, which include a fractured pelvis.

On Friday, the 5-month-old dog had his gangrenous tail removed by a veterinarian.

“He’s doing fine,” Angie Virag, an assistant at the Victory Veterinary Center in North Hollywood, reported after the surgery.

But Lucky still needs surgery to insert a metal plate in his pelvis, an expensive procedure that his rescuers cannot afford.

“We’re very much in debt,” said Grace Konosky, owner of German Shepherd Rescue, whose volunteers named the dog.

“We’re appealing for private donations to pay for the surgery.”

Konosky said the puppy was turned in to the shelter Wednesday “by someone who said they had found the dog and it had been hit by a car. They didn’t want to take any responsibility for the dog.”

The dog’s tail was already gangrenous and he was unable to walk without collapsing.

“It was very pitiful,” Konosky said. “He was like a colt that can’t stand up.”

The shelter has a policy of not euthanizing dogs that come into its care, no matter how serious the injuries. “We’ll spend our last cent to keep a dog alive,” Konosky said. “It’s a personal thing for me.”

Konosky often has to put vet bills on her credit card.

But she has no credit left for Lucky’s pelvic surgery.

“The vet said it will probably start at $900,” she said.

Carol Brander, another assistant at the veterinary clinic, said Lucky stands a good chance of a complete recovery. “With the proper treatment and surgery, we’ll have him back on all four feet.”

Those wishing to help pay for Lucky’s surgery can send checks to German Shepherd Rescue, 417 Moss St., Burbank 91502.

Donations to the nonprofit shelter are tax-deductible.