RPD K9 on the road to recovery after surgery

(ABC 6 News) – It takes a whole team to keep the community safe and it’s not just humans, it’s K9s too. One Rochester Police K9 is working to get back on his feet (or paws) after having surgery earlier this year for a twisted stomach.

Back in January, it was a normal day on the job for 2-year-old K9 Finn. He was being his playful and energetic self and then his handler, officer Sarah Cronk noticed a sudden change in him. A change she says literally happened within an hour. Finn began shaking and gulping air. After taking him to the vet, Finn was diagnosed with Gastric Dilation Volvulus (GDV.) In short – it means his stomach became twisted. The illness is not uncommon for K9s.

“It can happen, obviously it happens really fast,” said officer Sarah Cronk with the Rochester Police Department’s K9 unit.

“So within 24 hours, he could be dead. So luckily we caught it really quick. Everything was really successful. We did a procedure called gastropexy where they tack the stomach onto his body wall.”

Cronk says his diagnosis is a reminder to everyone to pay attention to when their dogs aren’t feeling well. Because there’s a difference between them “seeming a bit off,” or the dog being dangerously sick.

After surgery in late January, Finn is working his way back toward his full-time schedule as a narcotics and patrol dog.

“He hasn’t shown any signs that anything is bothering him or that he’s uncomfortable. So we’re just going to keep doing that. Just keep easing into the different trainings that we do,” added Cronk.

“I’ll keep an eye on him. As long as he’s acting fine and doesn’t seem uncomfortable, we’ll just keep doing what we do.”

Finn’s medical bill is over $5,000. Part of the bill is being paid for by donations from the Olmsted-Rochester Law Enforcement K9 Foundation. If you would like to donate to help Finn or other local K9s, you can click here.