Erik Bendl, known as World Guy, with his dog and traveling companion, Nice, following Nice’s discharge from UF’s Small Animal Hospital on March 21.

By Sarah Carey

For Erik Bendl, known as “World Guy” for his countrywide treks pushing a canvas globe to promote diabetes awareness, the world’s weight got a little lighter after his dog, Nice, underwent knee surgery at the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital on March 19. Nice, a 6-year-old blackmouth cur mix, is being discharged today.

“We think there’s a good chance Nice will make a full recovery over the next few months and be off to his long walks again,” said Caleb Hudson, D.V.M., a veterinary surgeon at UF who performed Nice’s 2 1/2-hour operation.

Bendl began walking with a mission — to promote diabetes awareness — after his mother, a former Kentucky alderman and state representative, died at 54 of complications from the disease. He has walked more than 6,000 miles in 41 states, in all kinds of weather, sharing his story and his motivational message — that diabetes doesn’t have to be a death sentence. In many cases, it can be prevented through weight loss and exercise and that people should “love themselves and take a walk.” For the past six years, Nice has walked with him, a part of his life and his mission.

Nice began limping in Florida during Bendl’s latest journey, which began in Pensacola and was to end in Tampa. After getting caught in a storm, he hunkered down in Spring Hill, where a local business owner offered shelter. Nice’s limping became worse. He saw a veterinarian in the area, who suspected a problem involving either Nice’s hip or knee joints. Bendl sought a second opinion from veterinary specialists at the University of Florida.

When Bendl arrived at UF on March 4, he wasn’t pushing the huge blue-and-green painted globe he’s usually seen with in photos. That was out in the parking lot in his weathered purple van, although he did offer to inflate the world for the staff’s amusement. With his wide smile, colorful stories and self-deprecating humor, Bendl did his best to remain positive while an orthopedic surgeon examined Nice

and performed tests. But by day’s end, Bendl’s heart was heavy.

“I didn’t expect that Nice’s problems would be this severe or this expensive to deal with,” he said.

Nice was diagnosed as having torn cranial cruciate ligaments in both knees, requiring surgery to correct the problems. Two tibial plateau leveling osteotomy surgeries performed simultaneously are more economical than operating on one leg at a time, surgeons said, but the cost still was estimated at approximately $5,000. UF was able to subsidize part of the cost through its Pet Samaritan Fund, but Bendl still had to come up with around $3,400 to cover the procedures and postoperative X-rays. The doctor recommended that the UF surgery team operate as soon as possible to have the best chance of a good outcome.

For a man with no credit and no regular income — Bendl supports himself and Nice through the support of friends, family members and strangers — the figure and the time frame were daunting.

Overwhelmed, Bendl headed back to Spring Hill to mull his options. The next morning, the 50-year-old Kentucky native was resolute — he’d do whatever he could to help his dog, relying on the resources at hand: his World Guy blog, his friends and his personal and public Facebook pages.

Bendl said he’s better at telling stories and encouraging people to stay healthy than he is at asking for help. But Nice’s story, as they say, had legs. Thanks to media stories and social media, within 10 days enough funds had been collected to cover Nice’s surgery and most of his postoperative tests. Bendl said he was humbled and grateful for every donation, no matter how small, but two couples in particular stood out in their generosity.

An elderly Spring Hill couple had been in the process of closing four booths they operated at the local flea market. Instead of storing their inventory, they decided to donate it all to Bendl after reading about Nice in the local paper. The proceeds gave Bendl $560 more to put toward Nice’s care.

Another couple, owners of a tattoo store in Arkansas, had met Erik and Nice on the road and read about their plight on Bendl’s World Guy blog. They gave $500, which put him over what was needed to schedule the surgery. But more than that, Bendl said, they told him that his encouragement to “get healthy” had prompted both of them to take better care of themselves. To him, that meant the most.

Bendl and Nice will be back at UF in a few weeks for follow-up X-rays to ensure the dog’s legs are healing properly. During the three-month recuperation period, the two will lay low and take things as they come, Bendl said.

One step at a time.

UF’s first total knee replacement surgery in dog successful

Dr. Justin Shmalberg, chief of the integrative medicine service, examines Mica, a 9-year-old Labrador retriever, during a check-up visit to UF’s Small Animal Hospital on Oct. 12. Mica received rehabilitation therapy following total knee replacement surgery in February. (Photo by Maria Farias)

Nearly eight months after undergoing total knee replacement surgery at the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital, a 9-year-old yellow Labrador retriever named Mica is racing through fields four days a week, sniffing out ducks in blinds and swimming while she trains for her master hunting title. It was the first time the procedure has been performed at UF.

“She loves being back to work,” said Mica’s owner, Kathleen Hornsby, of Archer, Fla. Mica has also competed in conformation, holds a companion dog obedience title and was trained for tracking. “A younger dog not as thoroughly schooled as Mica might have had a harder time remembering everything, but a lot of the work these dogs do is instinctive. She just went right back to it, even the blind retrieves.”

UF’s veterinary surgeons performed the procedure Feb. 22 with the help of Matthew Allen, D.V.M., an Ohio State University veterinary surgeon with expertise in canine knee replacements. On Oct. 10, Mica received her latest clean bill of health during a check-up at UF.

“Total knee replacement is a new treatment option for dogs with severe osteoarthritis,” said Stan Kim, D.V.M., an assistant professor of small animal surgery at UF. “Due to the equipment and surgical expertise required, the procedure can only be performed at a small number of institutions in North America. We now have the ability at UF to restore excellent function to dog’s knees that are affected by a variety of disorders.”

The two-hour procedure involves completely replacing the surface of the stifle, or knee joint, with an implant that mimics the normal anatomy of the knee. Kim and Antonio Pozzi, D.V.M., an assistant professor of small animal surgery, performed the procedure with Allen.

Kathleen Hornsby is shown with Mica and Dr. Stan Kim in the Small Animal Surgery treatment area of the UF Small Animal Hospital during a recheck appointment on Oct. 12. (Photo by Maria Farias)

“These implants took years to develop and are largely based on human total knee replacement systems,” Kim said.

In Mica’s case, her problems actually began when she was a 3-month-old puppy, racing around in the yard with her mother.

“Her mom raced over her, right on top of her left knee,” Hornsby said. “She screamed and hollered and limped for awhile and had surgery, but the veterinarians said back then that her knee would never be 100 percent normal, and she’d probably have arthritis in it.”

Mica’s owners treated her arthritis with medication, and the dog never limped when working, Hornsby said, adding, “When retrieving was on her mind, she didn’t even think about it.”

But in the past year-and-a-half, the limping grew worse. When Hornsby brought Mica to UF, surgeons said both her anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments were severely damaged, and the cartilage in her knee was completely worn away. This meant that the procedures UF veterinary surgeons typically use for an isolated anterior cruciate ligament injury would not work.

“They told us the only alternative was a total knee replacement,” Hornsby said.

UF veterinarians had never performed the surgery before, so they brought in Allen to assist and train them how to do the procedure.

Although humans have benefited from knee replacement technology for years, it has only been used in dogs with knee problems since 2007. Approximately 30 dogs per year have received the procedure since then, The New York Times reported in January 2011.

Total knee replacement is expensive, costing around $5,000, but Kim said UF is currently offering about a $1,000 discount — the cost of the implants, which are being provided free of charge — to owners of all dogs qualified to receive the procedure.

Mica is back at work and pursuing her master hunter title. (Photo courtesy of Kathleen Hornsby)

In the months following Mica’s surgery, she didn’t require retraining in her hunting abilities, just extensive physical therapy to build up her strength. Underwater treadmill therapy, stretching and bending twice a day and mile-long walks on a lead were part of the dog’s healing process.

UF veterinarians wouldn’t allow Mica to go off-lead for months after the procedure, saying the twisting and turning the dog might do if unsupervised could put unwanted stress on the knee prosthesis. But Hornsby said Mica ran her first post-surgery hunt test in August, and another one a month later with no leg problems.

Mica’s progress has exceeded veterinarians’ expectations, Kim said. Now, UF veterinarians will continue to monitor her annually to make sure she is doing well. During Mica’s check-ups, veterinarians use a weight-bearing machine known as a force plate to objectively measure how well she is using her leg.

“The most recent evaluation showed that her affected hind leg is gradually approaching the level of her normal hind leg,” Kim said.

The UF Small Animal Hospital is currently seeking dogs for a clinical study on total knee replacement. Dogs with severe osteoarthritis of the knee may be eligible.

Anyone seeking further information about the study, visit the website here or contact  Kim or Pozzi at 352-392-2235.