Blu's left hind leg was injured - complete with 4" of exposed bone - on December 1, 1997.

On January 23, 1998, the injury was healed sufficiently to start the first skin graft.

The first skin graft took well. Tiny hairs were obvious by March 16th, almost 8 weeks later. Although 50% coverage is average, the first skin graft was at least 75% successful. The 2nd skin graft occurred on March 18th. The largest area to be re-grafted was over the actual exposed bone area.
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	Small sections of skin were pinched and removed - or "harvested" - from a white section of the belly area, and transplanted into "pockets" cut into the leg. The picture on the left shows the "pockets" and the picture on the right shows a tiny section of harvested skin about to be tucked into a pocket.

	4 months after the leg injury, 13 days after the 2nd skin graft, the hair from the original transplant is quite obvious, the injured area has noticeably contracted, and there is substantial healing growth around the edges.
Blu is sound!!! <huge grin> By mid-April we can start daily turnout on dry days when her bandages won't get wet. About June 1st she should be able to return to light training … 6 months after her injury. It will take several months for the transplanted skin to spread and the hair to fill in. If her training and healing proceed as rapidly as anticipated, we hope Blu will be competing in Trail at several APHA and open shows before the end of the year.