Woman who tripped over Chihuahua has life-threatening injuries
She’s ruining this great day.
Proud pet owner Abby Hay, 28, claims she sustained life-changing injuries after tripping over her Rue Chihuahua while climbing stairs in June 2020.
Her beloved dog played on the steps as she went up – she tried to step over the pooch in cheap flip flops but Hay lost her footing and fell down the 18 steps.
“I couldn’t believe that such a small animal could cause so much damage” Hay told SWNS. “I still can’t believe it happened.”
The Scot suffered a torn ligament and three fractures in her ankle – an injury she describes as “embarrassing”.
Her ankle had fused and doctors predict she will develop arthritis within the next four years.
“Rue is very lucky that she’s very cute,” Hay admitted. “At first I didn’t even want to look at her, and then I realized it wasn’t her fault.”
The Edinburgh resident recalled not feeling any pain at first, but when she tried to stand up, her foot “collapsed” under her.
Her aunt called an ambulance and reported that Hay’s foot was “crooked.”
“When I told everyone in the hospital it had happened, they couldn’t believe that such a small dog had caused such a serious injury,” Hay said.
“Doctors said they had seen football or rugby players with similar injuries but had never seen dogs that small before.”
She underwent surgery to repair her foot, with doctors putting it back in place with two staples and four screws.
After two weeks in the hospital, she spent 12 weeks in a cast and four months in a hiking boot.
Unfortunately, this is an injury with long-term consequences.
“My ankle is paralyzed forever – it’s still bothering me and I have to let it freeze completely motionless,” Hay lamented.
“I can’t walk very well now, I have constant swelling — the doctors basically said it wasn’t going to go away, and I can’t wear high heels anymore.”
Hay isn’t the first pet owner to be seriously injured when tripping over a dog.
In 2018, Bexx Hunt revealed that she was nearly paralyzed after tripping over her golden Labrador, Tequila, on her way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
“It was just something you would never expect,” she told SWNS at the time. “I got up at night to go to the bathroom and next thing I was at the bottom of the stairs after ripping a huge chunk out of the wall.”
