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Pepper the Pug - Fractured Pelvis

  • NAKED AT LAST

      17 January 2019
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    After what seems like an eternity, Peps got the last pins out and bandages removed in the last week.

    And yeah - that's not her in the pic :) Read on...

    Sorry for not updating here with her progress over the last few months. Here's a quick run down.... Pepper's leg got a minor infection about 4 months ago so they decided to remove the plate and installed pins with an external fixator. She had that for about 2 months while the skin healed. Then they put a new plate in the front of her hock in order to add permanent support to the fused joint. Over the past month, they've been slowly re-weighting the joint by removing pins and loosening the fixator.

    Finally she has had all the pins out, all the bandages removed and is allowed to go for proper (short) walks and can run and play. She's even allowed in the water again which I'm sure she'll love when we get to a beach this weekend. It'll probably be at least a month before she's using it fully.

    Vet bills have come to approx $40,000 total, but after the first 3 months insurance finally started coming through which was a big relief.

    Insurance has been pretty good, reimbursing us within a few weeks normally, at this point there is only 4 vet bills and the other accident associated expenses left we are waiting on from them. Now that the worst of the financial uncertainty has passed, it's gotten to the point where the generous donations Pepper received need to go on to help another puppy in need.

    I know we said SPCA but ... we would love to donate the funds to the Saving Hope Foundation (registered puppy rescue charity) to help out Lucky. Lucky is a young puppy that was hit by a car and left on the side of the road. Saving Hope rescued him and has been paying the sizable vet bills which are over $11,000 so far. We plan to donate all the money from your donations to help Lucky and we'll be throwing in some of our own too.

    For us, Lucky's story hit quite close to home but please let us know if you'd rather your money go to the SPCA, we're happy to respect everyone's wishes and do a combination. Saving Hope Foundation is on Facebook or at savinghope.co.nz if you're interested in what they do or are looking to adopt/donate.

    Everyone's support made a big difference. It was much appreciated and whilst it's been a long road Peps has been a trouper. We're so happy that the outcome has been so positive for our plucky wee girl.

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  • Mr Hedgehog & Lots of Screws!

      5 June 2018
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    Pepper had her first checkup today and the surgeon is very happy with how she's doing. The stiches got removed and the splint dressings got changed. Unfortunately the splint has to stay on for about 6-8 weeks to allow her hock to fully heal.

    He also showed me he pre/post x-rays and CT scans... Looking in 3D and with higher resolution, the fractures are way worse than the x-rays show! Her pelvis was a mess and her ankle bone destroyed. The post x-rays however look amazing - if slightly scary.

    Toileting is coming along very well. Over the weekend, Pepper did her first poo since the accident which is great. This was also her first time peeing outside and, since then, hasn't needed her puppy pads. She's struggling to get into a good squat position though due to the large cast/splint. We try to assist and provide support using a sling but she doesn't seem to want it and is managing well without. She walks around on her front legs, searching for the correct spot to pee, cast and bum in the air - it's adorable and I'll try to get a video of it.

    Her anti-biotics and half her pain meds finished yesterday. She doesn't seem to mind at all. She's been a bit more with it today and has shown no signs of pain at all. She's even started playing with Mr Hedgehog and fell asleep with him last night (picture attached to this update).

    I've added a bunch of images to the gallery for anyone interested in the x-rays.

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  • Second Surgery Done

      1 June 2018
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    Pepper had her second surgery on Tuesday. It was to repair her left hock and required pantarsal arthrodesis (fusing the bones together) and a split to support it (no more heavy cast). She was discharged last night and is home, resting comfortably.

    The surgeon is very happy with her progress, amazed at how much she can move so soon after her surgeries. Her incision sites from the first surgery are healing very well with no signs of infection but we need to stay vigilant as infection is the main complication to watch for with an arthrodesis. There isn't much tissue around the area and this means infection will lead to very bad outcomes - not to mention more expensive surgery.

    Pepper had a great sleep last night, finally getting used to sleeping in her half crate rather than our bed. This morning she wasn't too keen on getting up but we went for a very quick trip outside into the cold. She's standing pretty well on her own (I still support her though) but she seems to prefer moving into a handstand rather than a pee squat unfortunately. I guess the crazy piles of washing and spend puppy pads will continue for a while longer...

    Travel insurance has come to the party, covering the holiday we were meant to be going on in a few days. It is a much needed influx of cash and also gives us the time to care for her during this long recovery. I've taken the next 9 days off and then Jeannie will have some time with her. Not quite the Fiji holiday we had planned...

    We head back to see the surgeon on Tuesday to have her checked and dressings changed. Fingers crossed the splint will come off so she can hopefully toilet properly again.

    Once again I want to thank everyone for the continued support. Looking at our beautiful girl resting peacefully now, I can definitely say that it's money well spent.

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  • Pepper is Home

      26 May 2018
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    We bought Pepper home last night. She's on a couple of different pain killers plus some strong anti-biotics as well as having a couple of fentynol patches. She seems to be fairly pain free most of the time and tries to move around occasionally although this we have been told to limit her movements for now.

    It was a very sleepless night for us and the rehabilitation is a bit more awkward than we'd thought. Toileting is the biggest hurdle at the moment as she can't stand with the massive cast on her hind leg. We are having to hold her using a towel under her belly as a sling which puts her in an unnatural position for toileting. We're still working on this technique and I'm sure it'll get better.

    The bandage over her fentynol patch doesn't want to stay put and we've had to re-wrap it a few times now.

    She woke us at 3am after peeing in her bed. When she tried to move away from it, she managed to pull the cast off her leg somehow. I've just got back from ARC where they put the cast back on her.

    At 6am she woke up in a little bit of pain. It is 8 hours after her last pain meds and time for more so we did that. All her meds need food so we thought we'd give her a small handful of her biscuits but it seems she's become a bit fussy in the last week and would only accept chicken breast :)

    Looking forward to getting her second surgery done on tuesday. Hopefully this will help with her comfort levels and toileting as she shouldn't need the cast after it.

    All in all, she's doing really well. She seems comfortable most of the time but the cast is bugging her - I don't think she can find a position where it's out of her way. She's sleeping heaps, eating normally and seems to be happy (all things considered).

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  • First Surgery a Success - Needs a Second Though

      23 May 2018
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    Pepper had her first surgery yesterday to repair her pelvis. The surgeon was very happy with the result and with how Pepper is coping with everything. She appears to be much more comfortable today and is even trying to stand up on her own. Her hip joint appears to be in pretty decent condition which is great news.

    The bad news is that they found damage to her hock on her right leg. It is fractured in a way that requires another surgery. For now, they've put it in a cast for her comfort and they'll be looking to operate on it in the coming week once she's recovered from the pelvis surgery - hopefully friday or monday.

    We had the option of removing the leg, which was a much cheaper option, but couldn't justify doing that to her when the surgery has a 90% success rate. What's 6 months of extra mortgage payments compared to her leg?

    We're going to see her tonight - the surgeon recommended we let her rest last night to recover. I'll get a photo of her if she's feeling well and put it up here for everyone.

    In summary, she's doing exceptionally well but she needs another expensive surgery - about $6000. Because of this, can we please ask for everyone to share this page with their friends and groups. Every little bit helps and is so appreciated by us and Pepper.

    p.s. The photo on the update is Pepper and her sister - Mily

    Thanks for your support.

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  • Surgery booked in for tomorrow

      21 May 2018
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    We spoke to the surgeon today. Although it's very serious and complicated fractures, he's confident of a full recovery. She's going to need a pin on her right hip to attach the pelvis back to the sacrum and plates in her left hip to hold all the pieces in place while she heals. This is inline with what was expected.

    The surgeon is unable to tell if the right hip joint is OK. It looks like there is a small chip missing from the inside of the "cup" part of the joint. This is irreparable and he recommends leaving it if this is the case. It should function fine but will most likely cause arthritis later in life. He will have a closer look when he's doing the other repairs on her pelvis and make a decision then. If the hip joint turns out to give her issues or pain, it may need another surgery.

    The operation is tomorrow morning. We should know how everything went at about midday. We'll be going to visit her late tomorrow evening to give her time to recover from her big day. I'll try to update here and on Facebook tomorrow when we know how everything went.

    Thanks heaps for all the support, messages and the donations. It really helps more than you can know.

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  • X-ray's done...

      20 May 2018
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    Pepper's just woken up and she's doing well. Handled the anesthetics without any issues. She was a bit tender, probably due to the leg manipulation needed to take the x-rays. After a while, she calmed down and stopped crying so the pain meds are helping her be comfortable.

    There's quite a few fractures, mostly to the right hand part of her pelvis. She'll most likely need a plate to repair this side. One of the fractures is very close to her hip joint which could pose issues but it's hard to tell from the x-ray. She also has a fracture where the pelvis attaches to the sacrum on her left side which will probably need to be pinned. Her spine and tail appear to be fine and she moved her damaged leg and tail slightly when we visited this morning.

    We'll be finding out more from the surgeon tomorrow.

    Hopefully she'll be having the surgery tomorrow as well. All going well, she should be walking in the next few days and hopefully home by the end of the week.

    We're feeling a bit of relief knowing that she's handled the anesthetic and drugs so well and that it's just bones with damage.

    We're also overwhelmed with the support and generosity that we've received from family, friends and strangers. It has really helped us to stay positive and focus on her recovery. Thank you all so much.

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