EARTHQUAKE: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY : Dog Gets Lavish Medical Care in Wake of Explosion : Pets: Burned canine is flown to UC Davis for dialysis treatment after her kidneys fail.

Bimbo may be only a construction yard dog, but after her brief period of stardom in the Northridge earthquake, she’s getting lavish medical treatment that a pedigreed show pooch could envy.

Bimbo was flown by helicopter Thursday from Van Nuys Airport to UC Davis, which has the state’s only dialysis facilities for dogs. The 2-year-old German shepherd was burned over 50% of her body when a broken natural gas main erupted in a fireball around her master’s truck in Granada Hills in a much-reported incident shortly after the Jan. 17 quake.

If treatment there is successful, she will be brought to the Sherman Oaks Burn Center for skin grafts by Dr. A. Richard Grossman, a top specialist and the center’s director. Grossman said he will perform the grafts for free, and an anonymous donor will cover other expenses, expected to total $50,000.

That would be well beyond the financial reach of Bimbo’s master, Jimmy Menzi, a Simi Valley mechanic.

“That animal is just as important as anybody else who got hurt in the earthquake,” said Grossman, who carried the bandage-swathed Bimbo onto the helicopter Thursday for the flight to Davis, as Menzi whispered words of comfort in her ear.

“I can relate to what they are doing to Bimbo,” said Menzi, who is undergoing skin grafts for burns to 30% of his body, “because that is what they are doing to me.”

Grossman arranged for the flight after Bimbo’s kidneys failed because of the burns, leaving her with only a 40% chance of survival.

A KNX radio station helicopter pilot, Bob Tur, offered his services for the flight.

Tur reported to the station’s listeners from mid-flight that Bimbo appeared to be enjoying the ride and appreciating the scenery below.

Dr. Jim Walters, a veterinarian who first treated Bimbo, said the special attention could save her life.

“Normally, it is cost-prohibitive to treat dogs,” said Walters, owner of Blue Cross Pet Hospital in North Hollywood. “Most of the cost has to come out-of-pocket.”

“I found her at a construction yard,” Menzi reminisced. “She kind of adopted me. She would commute back and forth with me, like she was going to work herself.”

Grateful for the attention his dog is getting, Menzi made little mention of his own problems. “The earthquake came real close to doing me in, literally and financially,” he said. “I lost my truck and tools (in the fire). But as long as she isn’t in any pain, I’ll be OK.”

The morning of the quake, Menzi left his home, which was not seriously damaged, to check on his mother in Santa Clarita, accompanied by Bimbo and his other dog, Shep. As they passed through the area of Balboa Boulevard and Rinaldi Street, the gas main exploded under the truck, killing Shep.

Menzi and Bimbo both eased their burns by leaping into the water spouting from a broken hydrant.

Menzi, determined to see if his mother was OK, walked another 10 miles before his mother spotted him as she drove the other way.

Bimbo, frightened, ran off after the explosion, but was later found by workers at a shelter for earthquake victims, who discovered Menzi’s phone number on a tag around her neck.

“She’s an amazing dog,” Menzi said. “She was tough enough to get out of the truck--she’ll get through.”