UPDATE: Posted on August 2, 2016 by Pattie Nitschke
Pebbles aka The Wiggler!
We met with Dr. Beam and Pebbles the wiggler at the Alvarado Vet Clinic this morning. He shared that Pebbles’ gunshot wound was the 2nd worst he has ever seen. Despite a large amount of shattered bone, he is DETERMINED that this Brittany will recover 100% and keep her leg.
After witnessing the bandage changing procedure documented below and a lengthy consultation with Dr. Beam and his surgical staff, it was decided that the best course of care for Pebbles would be for her to stay in the vet hospital for the next six weeks so THEY can change her bandages every five days. Here is the problem: Pebbles is such a happy, young, rambunctious, and high-energy Brittany (typical!) she has to be sedated to change her bandages.
Poor Miss Pebbles! She is soooo ready to go and run and play! That cone and those pins are really cramping her style! The good news is she is healing well and the doc feels she will be able to run with no problem as long as she STAYS STILL and doesn’t get the pins caught up on anything for the the next six weeks.
BRIT was able to pay today’s $2,459.51 vet bill today THANKS to your generous donations but we still need to raise enough money to cover the six weeks of aftercare which is estimated to be another $2,000….at least.
Please share this story with your friends and help us raise the funds needed to cover Pebbles’ ongoing medical expenses. At BRIT we believe ALL LIFE IS PRECIOUS. Especially those of the innocents, and those who have no way of defending themselves like this beautiful Brittany.
Please make your donations here – no donation is too small or too large.
Pebbles sedated and ready for her bandage change.
Carefully removing the padding around the rods.
Cleaning the wound
Dr. Beam removing a bone fragment from the bullet wound
All clean and ready for new padding and bandages
Dr. Beam with Pebbles as she comes out of sedation
UPDATE: Posted on July 20, 2016 by Pattie Nitschke
Pebbles came through her surgery with no complications. Apologies for the graphic photo – it was taken immediately post-op. She is on pain medication and is resting. The vet tech say she is happy and wagging her tail! She will stay at Dr. Beam’s for another week.
Click to enlarge
UPDATE: Posted on July 18, 2016 by Pattie Nitschke
Originally Posted on July 15, 2016 by Pattie Nitschke
Tuesday afternoon our East Texas volunteer received a frantic notice from a shelter who had just admitted a female Brittany (about a year and a half of age) who had a shattered leg and was bleeding profusely. The man who dropped her off at the shelter said she had been “hit by a car”. …Oh, really? Hit by a car you say?
The small East Texas shelter didn’t have the resources to get her vetted. Fortunately, in lieu of euthanasia they called BRIT’s East Texas volunteer who rushed the Brittany, who we are calling Pebbles, to her local vet for triage. As it turns out Pebbles was NOT hit by a car, but SHOT in the leg. (Who would do such a thing???) As you can see on the attached x-ray, the bullet shattered her right tibia.
Fortunately, Pebbles is a healthy young adolescent and strong enough to come through this with flying colors. She is heartworm negative and in excellent health. As you can see from her photos she is absolutely gorgeous. The vet techs tell us Pebbles is very loving and trusting. She continues a course of antibiotics and pain medication, while awaiting surgery on Monday.
Traumatic animal injuries are always costly, but BRIT had a bit of good luck in finding a highly skilled and generous veterinarian in Alvarado, certified in advanced Orthopedic Surgery, who is willing to perform Pebbles’ operation for approximately $2,000…about a 1/3 of the cost of the “big city” fees, which can range between $5-6,000 and up. This does not include the cost of the triage vet or the post-surgery rehabilitation, which can run another $1,000 or more.
It’s been a WILD week at BRIT!
- Not only did we bring in Pebbles, but also
- pregnant Annie Oakley who is due any day now,
- Hailey an owner surrender from the OK/TX border,
- Bowie who was picked up by Johnson County Animal Control after a month of trying to catch him,
- Ray a nine-year-old owner surrender from a Dallas area shelter,
- Collette a young French Brittany from a Houston area shelter,
- Abbie a 10 year old owner surrender from the Houston area
We just never know what the next phone call will bring…
Join BRIT and your fellow Brittany lovers in our commitment to rescue Brittanys across the Great State of Texas. We are fortunate to have veterinarians that will work with us, but a wild week like this one very quickly wipes out our small emergency fund and threatens our ability to continue rescuing. Please visit our donation page and contribute – no amount is too small or too large.
