Little roxy – clings on to life!!

This is the story about the smallest dog with the largest will to survive against all the odds!

Roxy, a gorgeous little Chihuahua weighing only 1.5kg, arrived at the Hallam Animal Emergency Centre collapsed and barely alive after surviving a horrific dog attack. Roxy’s owners had found her lying unconscious in a pool of blood, after being attacked by a larger dog.

Our team of experienced veterinary surgeons and nurses immediately set about resuscitating Roxy as she lay unconscious and barely breathing. It soon became obvious that Roxy had suffered severe head trauma and there was a very high suspicion that her skull was fractured. In addition, Roxy was bleeding internally and was quickly losing blood from her circulation.

The severity of Roxy’s injuries were discussed with her owners, who very keen to give her every chance of survival.

It was prudent that Roxy received intravenous fluids and that required placement of a catheter into a vein in her leg. Roxy was in such a bad way that it was impossible to find a vein. Instead, the team set about placement of a special needle directly into the bone; this was the last resort in an attempt to get fluids into the circulation. Roxy started to respond! Her blood pressure began to rise, her circulation improved and the team could then place a catheter in her leg. A blood transfusion was given to replace that lost.

The biggest concern now for Roxy was her head trauma. After being stabilised for a couple of hours, Roxy had a seizure. This was quickly managed with anti-seizure medication. It was crucial to assess what was happening to Roxy’s brain – had the skull been fractured? If so, was it pressing against her brain or causing bleeding onto her brain? Thankfully for Roxy, the Hallam AEC has full CT imaging on site. Roxy was transferred to the CT suite and a CT scan performed of her head. The images revealed two skull fractures that were slightly compressed. There was also an opening into the skull. The great news was that no bleeding onto the brain was seen. The skull fractures could be managed without the need for surgery.

Over the next three days, Roxy became stronger and stronger. She continued to receive pain relief, antibiotics, oxygen support and remained in intensive care.

All through her treatments, Roxy had the support and loving care of her owners. Their dedication was a key part to her speedy on-going recovery.

Roxy is now ravenous for her cooked chicken and wags her tail whenever she is examined.

This remarkable little dog has battled against the greatest odds – her strong character, the dedication by her owners and the incredible work carried out by the medical team at the AEC will see Roxy take her next step to recovery as she heads home for on-going care.

Good luck Roxy!!