She’s Home!

Dec 10

Written By To Love a Canine Rescue, Inc.

***Home sweet home! Boy, am I tired, too. It’s been a long few days…***

I don’t really remember all that much from Thursday. I went to visit my favorite doctor friend, Dr. Rosen, Thursday morning and she introduced me to even more doctor friends! Everyone was so nice and kept telling me how pretty I was. I got so many chin and ear scritches. They all kept talking about my spine and this “surgery” that I was having. Next thing I knew, I had the deepest sleep I think I’ve ever had. When I woke up, my back was freezing, and my hair was missing! Guess I’ll just have to get used to that. It’s still better than the white hot pain. Now that I think about it, I don’t really feel the white hot pain right now - just a little sore.
Friday was a lazy day at the doctor’s office. I kept waiting for my foster mom and dad, but my doctor and nurse friends kept telling me that they couldn’t come get me yet. They kept telling me that I needed to “rest” - whatever that means?

Saturday was another lazy but boring day at the doctor’s. I kept trying to tell the humans that I felt fine and wanted to go play. They told me I needed more “rest”. How long is this “rest” thing going to take? But then the best thing ever happened Saturday night - Foster Mom & Dad came and picked me up! I was so excited to see them that my foster mom kept telling me to “take it easy”. What’s everyone so worried about? I’m just a little sore.

My favorite doctor friend (Dr. Rosen) sent my mom a little note to help explain what they did to help me feel better and to get rid of the white hot pain:

“Chelsea underwent a multi-step intervention to address various issues affecting her well-being. The first objective was to release the constricted L7 neurovascular bundle on the left side, a crucial step to alleviate the pain and lameness she was experiencing. To identify the cause of her condition, a sample of abnormal-looking bone was taken for culture, aiming to pinpoint the right antibiotics for treatment.

Following this, pedicle screws were strategically placed in her L6 and L7 vertebrae, guided by pre-operative CT scans. At this point, the human spine surgeon took charge, as this aspect of the surgery had not previously attempted in dogs. Using intra-operative x-ray guidance, screws were skillfully inserted into her ilium, a part of her pelvis. Two bars (pre-bent specifically for Chelsea) where then placed through the screw heads - effectively stabilizing both her lumbosacral and sacroiliac joints in a single construct.

The final touch involved the application of antibiotic-infused bone graft, a cutting-edge material introduced by the collaboration of a large animal surgeon currently engaged in research trials.”

Today, I am continuing to “rest” and “take it easy” at home in my cozy crate. Foster mom told me I’m going to be spending a lot of time here resting for the next few weeks. Then she gave me some fun puzzles with treats in them! I figured those out super fast. She keeps telling me I’m going to feel better than ever once I “rest” and that sounds like the best treat ever.