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Sylvie - Greenville, SC 14 AUG 2005 ESRA #2005-398NC   Age: 1 year Gender: Female Color: Black/White Weight: 45 lbs. Variety: Bench-Bred

ESRA received an e-mail late last week from a woman who took in a Springer from her owners a month ago who we've come to call Sylvie. Two weeks after she moved in with her new friend out popped a litter of pups on 5/21/2005. There are 5 puppies and the mama, being just a pup of 1 year old herself, didn't quite know how to care for them. Fortunately, the woman who took her in had a Rottweiler nursing puppies at the time and she took them under her wing. Then disaster struck. The woman doesn't have air conditioning and she leaves her front door open often for fresh air. Somehow Sylvie got out of the yard and ran off and when she returned she had a badly injured leg. To make matters worse, during this week, her good Samaritan is wheelchair bound with a broken leg and her Rottweiler has gone into liver failure. She could not afford nor physically care for Sylvie and her puppies.

We got pictures on Saturday and by Sunday, Kathleen and John Toomey, ESRA volunteers in the North Carolina, swept in to get little Sylvie to an emergency vet. She was dehydrated, the open wounds covered in maggots and septic and she was clearly in a lot of pain. How she even let them pick her up is beyond me. Her leg is badly damaged, the femur head dislocated, a fracture to her pelvis and probably the hip. The worst damage though is the muscle damage sustained from her leg being wrenched. She was apparently hit by a car and found her way back to this woman. There is also the possibility of an S1 luxation (basically a dislocation with in the spine), but the vet is hopeful that this was just the positioning of her body not an actual trauma. She is able to get around on three legs and is as sweet as can be.

Monday morning, Kathleen moved Sylvie to her vet where she continues to have her wounds tended and we continue to evaluate what is the best plan of action of her. She will need to see a specialist and will likely need surgery.

Kathleen also went back for the puppies on Monday. They have been seen by her vet and are back at her house now. They need to be fed three times a day and are happy to eat softened dry kibble, which is amazing for 3 week old puppies who are usually not weaned yet! They did have their tails docked when they were born, before we knew about them, but we do not know if they are Springers. They look like they are very “Springer” though, with beautiful markings. One is even a black, white and tan tri, with little tan eyebrows and little tan markings on his legs.

Sylvie’s puppies are going to remain in foster care until they are old enough to be spayed or neutered, and are well socialized together. Sylvie will likely be here much longer to go through surgery and fully recuperate from the severe trauma to her leg. We are hopeful that her leg can be saved, but it is too soon to tell. We will update as soon as we have more info on the Sylvie’s condition and will continue to post new pictures of the puppies as they grow.

UPDATE 6/16/05: Sylvie had FHO surgery yesterday to remove the ball of the femur that goes into the hip socket. However, due to the muscle damage, this little one is still not out of the woods as the doctors are concerned about infection and her ability to let those muscles heal and then start rehabilitating them.

The puppies are doing great! The report from the Toomeys is that they are drinking, eating, peeing, pooping, and playing together just like puppies should! They will be moved to Carol Sanderson in GA this weekend, where they will stay till they are 8 weeks old. At that point, or a few weeks later (after maybe a short stint here), we will split them up to get them spayed and neutered and then send them off to their Forever Homes!

UPDATE 6/18/05: Sylvie is doing very well and the report from the clinic is that everyone who treated her fell in love with her, she is so sweet. She is a bit leery of strangers but warms up quickly when she realizes you are not going to hurt her. The doctors were very pleased with how well she is healing, she is actually putting a little weight on the leg. She walks very well on the leash which is good because she must be leash walked for 4 weeks. She needs to be rechecked in one week and the staples will be removed.

Her treatment plan is to limit her activity for the next 2 weeks to short leash walks. Her stair climbing should be limited for the next week. Ideally she should avoid slippery surfaces the next 2-3 weeks. By the way her heartworm test came back negative. YEAH!!!!

UPDATE 6/23/05: Sylvie's appointment went very well. The surgeon was extremely pleased with how well she is healing. He is amazed at her progress considering what bad shape she was in. He thinks it will take her about 20 weeks to get to about 50% usage of the leg. So for now we are to walk her a little further on a leash and find a pace where she will start to put weight on the leg. Then maintain that pace to help her build up the use of that leg. We are to continue her medications until they are gone, and she should not need anymore. She has an appointment in 2 weeks to check her progress. No more e-collar for her so that makes her much happier. She always allowed us to put it on though, we cheated by putting a treat inside it.

UPDATE 7/1/05: I arrived home last night after 2 weeks away from Sylvie and I was floored at how well she looks. Her scabs and sores on her hind quarters are healed. The incisions from the surgery are healing nicely. She wants so badly to jump up to greet you. She also is dying to play and run with her foster sister and brothers. She has an appointment on the 7th for her 4 week check up. We'll find out then if we can lift some of her restrictions and when it's safe for her to be spayed. I will get some pictures this weekend and load them in her album.

We appreciate all the financial support for her vet care! Her expenses to date are $2644.53.

UPDATE 7/6/05: Sylvie had her follow-up exam with the surgeon today. He was very pleased with how much progress she has made and he has lifted most of the restrictions she had. She can tackle stairs now and is free to roam about. She is not allowed to play catch or rough house. He suggested swimming as a recommended exercise for her as well as 10 to 15 minute walks at a fast enough pace to force her to put weight on the leg

UPDATE 7/10/05: Sylvie's road ahead just got a whole lot tougher. When we woke yesterday she had thrown up in her crate and was acting very odd. She could barely move and her sides were bloated and very hard. We immediately thought it was bloat. We rushed her to the vet who immediately started running tests, took x-rays and did an ultrasound of her abdomen. Her white blood cell count was extremely high which indicated we were probably dealing with an infection. She had a gut feeling it was her uterus was full of puss and had to be removed immediately. Of course when she got her opened up she found her uterus had a hole in it so the puss had been leaking into her abdomen. The hole was probably caused by the leg when it was disengaged from the hip. She removed the uterus and all of the infected tissue from her abdomen. She flushed her abdomen with saline to try and give her the best possible chance against peritonitis, a very serious infection in the abdomen . So now we are in a wait and see mode. At one point in the surgery the vet asked us if we wanted to keep going because her prognosis is not very good with all the infection going on in her. The vet said that if Sylvie had not already gone through so much she probably would have recommended we just let her go. She has overcome so much already we did not want to give up on her. As I sit her typing I so miss her nudging my arm off the keyboard to pet her. I hope she will be back here soon to "bug" me for a stroke on her head. Keep her in your thoughts.
Kathleen Toomey
toomeyka@yahoo.com
Sylvie's foster mom

UPDATE 7/11/05: Sylvie was doing so well the vet let her come home with me today. Her white blood count is still high so we will be monitoring that. Other than the stiches on her abdomen, she acts like nothing happened to her. The therapy for her leg will have to wait a little longer, she needs time to heal from her latest surgery. She's back to short leash walks and quiet time. She ate her dinner a few minutes ago and voiced her satisfaction to the chef with a very loud belch. Thanks so very much to everyone for your well wishes, they obviously paid off and helped little Sylvie beat the odds (so far). Here's hoping Sylvie only has good luck from this point on!
Kathleen

UPDATE 7/18/05: Thank you all so much for caring about little Sylvie, she really appreciates your support. Her blood test this week showed her white blood cell count is in the normal range which is the best possible news. Her body is doing a good job of fighting off any infection. She has actually starting sitting and rolling over slightly for a belly rub. I think she was just too uncomfortable to do that before. She is an absolute joy to foster and she will make some lucky adopter very happy. She is a big nose nudger for attention and she woo woos when she sees her dinner is on the way. So cute!

Thanks again for thinking of Sylvie and a special thanks to those who have contributed to her Special Needs Fund. It is only through donations from our wonderful ESRA family and friends that we are able to support Sylvie and her puppies. She is a sweet, beautiful girl who deserves a chance to live out her many years ahead free from pain. Thank you for your sponsorship and helping us achieve that for her!

To follow Sylvie's progress more closely, you can check out her "blog" here.

Contact: Mid-South Coordinators midsouthesra@yahoo.com

Click Here To Sponsor Sylvie

SYLVIE'S GENEROUS SPONSORS TO DATE:
Katrin Owen
Cathryne J Slaughter	In memory of Mom & Dad - Thank you for everything.
John & Susan Dudley	In honor of Susan's boy, Andy, and the organization that made it all possible.
Sally Ehrenfried
Susanne Follett	In memory of Sally -- still remembered.
Monica Smith	On behalf of Bailey, Chance and Benji Smith.
Lynne Plahanski
Pam Gregory	On behalf of Maggie & Buddy.
Bob Knell	In memory of my four-legged son, Joshua
Kathy Armstrong	In honor of Sparky, from his new adopters Roger and Patti, and from his foster family, David, Anna, and Kathy.
Jamie and Ed Balazs	Happy 2nd Birthday Audrey - Pretty Girl.
Janet McClain	A gift for my sister, Carolyn.
Carolyn Molloy	For Jill, also recovering from hip surgery, a speedy recovery for you both!
Deborah Werner & Bob Bessette	In memory of all the puppies having puppies. May Sylvie never suffer again!
Kathleen Henderson	Get well soon, Sylvie! We wish you the best!! Love, Kathleen and James.
Gary Hanes	In memory of little Maddie in Texas - lest we forget!
Dan & Sarah Pannuto	A gift from our three Springer children, Bailey, Shelby, and Toby.
Bonnie Nichols	In memory of Lilly.
Larry and Rhonda Pethick	From your Springer friends, Jesse and Chelsea. Get well soon!
Carol Sanderson	From Sylvie's pups: Carly, Luke, Oli, Shannon and Teddy
Laura Hollis	Gift for Laura, Matt, & Elvis Hollis-Starnes, in honor of Elvis' 5th birthday!
Jennell Harris	For Annie, whom we received from ESRA.
Renee & Don Holmes	In memory of Buddy Holmes.
Cynthia Ramsa	In memory of Lady, the best ESS and friend I ever had.
Ron Perry	In memory of Taz, my best friend.
Beth Spurr	This is from Beth, Murphy, and Rocky.
The Martin Family	In memory of Maggie, the co-dependent dog.
Tom & Donna Kirk	From your Springer friends, Hershey & Zeke.
Kelly and Randy Borth	To inspire us all to live and love!
Mary Lou Garey - Bair	In memory of Winston.
Beth Schilling-Fournier	In memory of Tramp.
George & Diane Turski	Get well Sylvie! From Angel, Redd, and feisty Layla.
Elizabeth Blevins	A gift for My Angels, Reagan, Riley and Gracie Mae (my 3 stooges).
Diane Samdahl	In memory of my own rescued springers, Gracie and Mickey.
Kathleen Toomey	For Sylvie, thanks for teaching us to NEVER give up. Have a wonderful life, little one, you deserve it
Beverly Young	In memory of Homer, and in Honor of Heather Young, my daughter, who gives comfort and love to every dog she touches.