Page 4 - Paws & Hooves - Spring 2020

French Bulldog Lola back on her paws after falling off a balcony
L ola Foran is a gorgeous one-year-old female French bulldog who visited the RVC Beaumont Sainsbury Animal Hospital in December after falling three
stories from a balcony.
On arrival she was conscious, but in a lot of pain. Amy Galley, Veterinary Surgeon at the Hospital, talks us through the case:
“We stabilised her, giving her oxygen therapy
and pain relief. We ruled out the presence of any internal bleeding through an ultrasound (equipment that was funded thanks to the wonderful supporters of the Animal Care Trust!).
“We found that she was unable to walk on her hind limbs, and spinal radiographs revealed she had a luxated (dislocated) spine. After speaking to colleagues in neurology at the RVC Hospital in Hertfordshire, we referred Lola to them
for emergency surgery. She travelled by pet ambulance on a spinal board to keep her as still as possible and was operated on that same night to stabilise the vertebral column with pins and bone cement.”
“This was such a special case to work on, not just because of the very happy outcome but because of the incredible teamwork between colleagues at
both RVC hospitals. We are so fortunate to be able to draw on so much experience, to enable critically ill pets to come through potentially devastating injuries.”
Kelly, Lola’s owner, remembers: “The team at
the RVC put us at ease straight away. It was very touch-and-go, but the staff were so calm and confident and that really helped us through it all. We only really had two options: spinal surgery with a 70% chance of recovery or putting Lola to sleep. That was a very easy decision for us, and we just feel so incredibly lucky that we had access to the teams at both RVC hospitals. They saved Lola and she is recovering so well now, against all those odds.”
“Her recovery has been quite amazing thanks to the teams at the RVC.”
Lola still attends regular hydrotherapy and physiotherapy sessions at the RVC to help strengthen her legs and is walking on all four paws again.
Kelly added: “We have a two-hour round trip each week, but the journey is so worth it. The staff absolutely love her, and the feeling is mutual!”
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Paws & Hooves Spring 2020