Prosthesis for LE K-9

Raising funds to get a prosthesis for this Police K-9 who lost his leg.  Funds will go to the ongoing expenses that Ivo will have.

East Liverpool Police Department, Ohio
K-9 Ivo's story from his handler -  Officer Chad Tatgenhorst

We were training with our other K9 Nero and St Clair Two Pds K9 Noras. It was a hot day so I kind of took it easy on Ivo as far as training, plus he was the "senior" officer as both other dogs are like a year old. I had Ivo kenneled the week before because I was away on vacation in South Carolina. Because of the concrete floors at the kennel, his pads were sore so i was especially careful with him and was taking it easy on him. Anyhow, at the end of training, I decided to let Ivo swim in the creek at the State Park we were at. Him being an energetic police k9 and Belgium Malinois, swimming isn't a relaxing thing. We have a floating toy that he loves to fetch and I tossed it into the water. He retrieved it the first time with no problem. I tossed it out again and that's when the injury took place. He ran toward the water's edge and as he jumped, his foot either got stuck in the mud or between a rock. His body kept going forward and snapped his leg. He was about halfway into the water and was having trouble swimming back to shore. I thought he was going to drown, so I jumped in the water and was able to pick him up and carry him to shore. Once on the shore, myself and the other 2 handlers used a blanket and muzzle to transport him to my cruiser. We then rushed him to Sunny Ridge vet which was only a couple miles away. Once there they hooked him up with some pain meds and did the initial x-ray. It was determined then that his break was bad and not able to be fixed there. They transferred us to Akron MedVet in Akron, Ohio. There we met with Dr. Daniel Davis who explained that Ivo's break was one of the hardest to fix. He explained the break was just above the elbow (human terms) and would require lots of hardware to fix. He explained that fixing the leg and getting him back to work was his number one priority. He also explained the other options which were fixing it and not being able to work and last amputation. We chose to have it fixed. So, unfortunately, I had to leave Ivo 2 hours away at the vet, for surgery the next day. That was by far the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. The next day, the day of the surgery, I couldn't sit at home and my wife and I drove back to Akron to wait in the waiting room. Ivo came out of surgery great and Dr. Davis explained that he gave him the best shot he could to return back to work. He said he would just have to monitor how Ivos body would accept all that hardware. He had 2 plates, 8 pins and 20 screws installed into his leg. He had to be carried out of surgery by the nurses and placed in our truck. It was decided by Dr. Davis and I to limit his stay at the vet because Ivo was better off at home with me. After 2 weeks of recovery, we returned to Akron for a checkup and Ivo was showing signs of possible nerve damage as he was dragging his paw on the ground as he walked. Dr. Davis wasn't too concerned with that and would recheck it at the next visit. 2 weeks later at the next checkup is when we got the bad news of the bone infection in his leg where all the hardware was. Dr. Davis then put him on antibiotics to try to combat the infection. After about 2 more weeks Ivo and I were outside and he tried to get up off the ground and made a yipping sound. His leg appeared to have re-broken. We took him to Sunny Ridge Vet who did x-rays and determined that the infection was getting worse and had made the bone brittle. Apparently, a screw had broken through the bone. It was then that Dr. Amy Chronister contacted Dr. Davis. Both vets suggested that the leg be amputated. They left it up to me to continue trying to fight the infection or to amputate. After thinking of the pain Ivo was in and further complications, I decided that amputation was the best. Dr Chronister advised that there would always be pain and also arthritis. So it was an easy decision. After amputation, Dr. Chronister said his leg was full of pus and infection around all that hardware and said i made the right choice. Ivo is getting around good on 3 legs but I worry about stress on his hips and his other front leg. 


Ivo is 7 years old and was East Liverpool's 3rd K9. Ivo was the first ever Belgium Malinois at ELPD. Ivo was born in Holland on August 18th, 2011. He was trained there by Martin Kreeft and his wife. While in Holland Ivo was attacked by an adult dog as a puppy and is missing the tip of his right ear. Ivo was then brought to the USA by Shallow Creek Kennels in Sharon, PA. He was trained there by John Brannon. I was trained there to be Ivos handler in April of 2013. Ivos first day on the job was June 1, 2013. Ivo was very instrumental in locating narcotics, articles, and tracking. His biggest find was $18,000 cash with drug residue hidden in a stereo by a drug dealer. My favorite, was when he tracked two males who were breaking into cars and Ivo took me right to their house. Another good find was he located a gun that a suicidal male tossed in a bank parking lot. He also located a bullet casing from a shooting. I will miss working with Ivo as he was a great partner. But I will enjoy his retirement with him as he is on easy street. It will be nice to relax with him for the rest of his life.
Funds will go to the Fraternal Order of Police in East Liverpool, Ohio.