Radar the weather dog's life-saving surgery

HOUSTON – Last month, we told you about a health scare for Radar the Weather Dog. This week, he underwent surgery.

X-rays confirmed the cancerous tumor a sharp-eyed groomer spotted on his right back paw hadnot spread to the bone. Radar was prepped for surgery to remove that digit.

Robyn Watts, Surgery & Neurology Manager at Sugar Land Veterinary Specialists, told Local 2, "He is having a rear limb procedure, so we're doing an epidural that is very similar to what they do in human medicine. So he basically will not feel anything in his back leg."

The procedure takes about 30 to 45 minutes and the goal is to keep anesthesia time down to two and a half hours max.

Dr. Loretta Bubenik-Angapen reports that Radar did great the entire time and there were no complications with the amputation.

"Basically if you look at my finger, we amputated the toe up to here and the mass was down here. So we got a nice margin away from that mass and then the closure went well," said Dr. Bubenik.

The cancerous tumor will now be sent off for analysis.

"That's very important for us to know exactly how that tumor's going to behave and the pathologist that's going to look at the biopsy will give us that information," Dr. Bubenik said.

Following the surgery, Radar will be fitted with a splint. He'll wear it for about two weeks, but he's expected to quickly adjust to life while missing one of his digits.

"The splint is a little bit hard for them. He's going to feel funny. He's probably going to hold that leg up for a little while and then toe-touch it down and it'll make a little clumping noise which will scare him a little bit as it starts out. But usually between 24 and 48 hours he's used to it and back on schedule with walking OK with it," said Dr. Bubenik.

The day after surgery, Radar is ready to go home.

Completely healed, Radar can begin anti-cancer medication that is expected to add years to his life.

We will keep you updated on Radar's journey and his road to recovery.

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A History of Radar

In 2004, a small mixed-breed mutt arrived at Local 2 to become a fixture of the KPRC weather team. Viewers named him Radar.

For three years, Radar entertained viewers of all ages through public appearances, events and nightly dog walking forecasts.

The shy little puppy that came onto the TV scene quickly became a huggable, lovable fur ball that loved the spotlight and taking pictures.

During his tenure at Local 2, Radar's news segments were not just about the weather. Often his airtime would draw attention to pet issues, like checkups and adoption events. Having a dog in the building often led to stories about other animals making a difference in the community.

During Radar's first Christmas in Houston, Local 2 offered a limited-edition stuffed dog in the image of the quickly becoming famous weather dog.

In 2007, Radar left his on-air life behind to live the good life. He was adopted by a longtime KPRC staffer who had offered a home away from home on nights and weekends when Radar was not working or making appearances. He made an appearance at a local dog show in February, but for the most part, he lives a dog's life of playing in the yard, enjoying a treat or two and trips to the dog park.

In 2011, Radar returned to KPRC Local 2 for a quick run through the newsroom and a few pictures with old friends. During the 10 p.m. newscast, he reunited with his former news teammates to say hi and let his fans at home get a chance to see him.

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