Tegan’s Big Chance

We said we would update you on our little girl Tegan as soon as we had a better understanding of the treatment she is going to need.

Many of you will know her already! She became part of the BTRF foster family two and a half years ago. She came to us with an existing spinal condition that hadn’t been investigated. From the moment she arrived, we began the journey of understanding what was causing her pain and how we could help her.

 

Since then, with your incredible support, we have done everything responsibly possible to keep her comfortable including medication, specialist pain relief, supportive therapies and careful management. We really have left no stone unturned. But we have now reached the point where, despite all of that, it is no longer enough to give her the comfort she deserves.

Tegan is only six.

 

She is bright, determined and so enthusiastic, even on the days when her body doesn’t make it easy for her. We can clearly see how she wants to do more and enjoy life to the full and BTRF wants to make this possible.

 

As a young dog with many years ahead of her, she deserves the chance to fully enjoy life without pain holding her back.

 

Tegan’s last set of imaging showed that even after carefully following the treatment plan from the original referral neurologists, things haven’t resolved for her in a way that her care team would have expected at this point. In fact, there were areas on the scan that were making the next steps more difficult to determine.

 

As result, we have had Tegan’s case reviewed by a European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology and she has put together a structured surgical plan with a view to relieving the pressure in her spine that is causing her pain.

 

There are of course risks with any surgery, but as all the other measures that have been available to us haven’t been successful for Tegan, this expert guidance is now the most appropriate way forward that gives her meaningful, lasting relief and a real improvement in her quality of life.

 

Tegan may always have some gait abnormalities, but the objective of the surgery would be to take away the pain that comes with this, so this is about…

 

• comfort

• freedom from daily pain

• long-term quality of life

 

The cost of the surgery itself and rehabilitation is significant, and we will be launching a dedicated £15,000 fundraiser to cover everything she needs - from diagnostics and surgery through to careful recovery and rehabilitation. She will also need lifetime support after the surgery and rehab.

 

We now have a clear plan, her foster carers are dedicated and ready to support her every step of the way, and our PR and fundraising team already have exciting ideas in the planning stage to help drive this appeal forward. We believe, wholeheartedly, that this is the right step for her.

 

If you have followed Tegan’s journey, and if you believe, as we do, that she deserves the chance to live long, happy and pain-free years ahead, we would be very grateful for your support.

 

Let’s join together and give her that chance