Welcome to Tegan’s Sponsor a Foster Dog page

Tegan's rehabilitation journey!

 In our last update, we shared the news that little Tegan was safely home following major spinal surgery to treat two ruptured discs and relieve the pain she had been experiencing.

We are delighted to report that Tegan continues to recover well and has a definite new spring in her step! In fact, one of the challenges now is managing her enthusiasm while her body is still healing. After being uncomfortable for so long, it is wonderful to see her feeling brighter and wanting to do more, even if she sometimes needs reminding that recovery can’t be rushed!

Tegan is now preparing to begin physiotherapy. Because of her anxieties and sensitivities around handling, this will be carried out in the comfort and safety of her own home. This next stage of her rehabilitation will focus on rebuilding the muscles that have weakened while she was coping with discomfort and moving less freely. It will also help to improve the hunched posture she had adopted to relieve some of the pressure and soreness in her spine. Her physio will involve gentle stretching exercises led by Tegan herself, allowing her to remain in control and ensuring that everything stays well within her comfort zone.

Tegan’s specialist veterinary team continues to be heavily involved in her recovery, carefully overseeing her progress and guiding each stage of her rehabilitation. Lisa Webb from Canine Thinking liaises regularly with the vets to ensure that their clinical guidance is followed and that everyone involved in Tegan’s care continues to work closely together.

Lisa also checks in with Tegan and her foster carers several times each week by Zoom. This enables her to see how Tegan is progressing and to help the foster carers put the veterinary team’s recommendations into practice at home. With the vets, Lisa and her foster carers all working together, Tegan’s rehabilitation can be adjusted as needed and introduced at a pace that is right for her.

This has been quite a journey, not only for Tegan but also for her wonderful foster carers. They have been dedicated to her at every step, from making significant adjustments to their home in preparation for her return to supporting her through the demanding early stages of recovery. It has been tough for them at times, but their commitment to this little girl has never wavered and they have done an incredible job.

Our heartfelt thanks go to Tegan’s specialist veterinary team, to Lisa for her ongoing guidance and support, and to her foster carers for everything they continue to do for her. Together, they have helped Tegan through a huge operation and are now supporting her throughout what remains a significant rehabilitation journey.

We are also thrilled to share that, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our supporters, the £15,000 needed for Tegan’s surgery and rehabilitation journey was raised.

Tegan still has a way to go, and her longer term spinal health will need to be managed carefully, but seeing that new spring in her step reminds us just how far she has already come. We will, of course, update you again once she begins her physiotherapy and let you know how she progresses through this important next stage.

Tegan's surgical journey - she is home!

What a week it's been and here's the news you have all been waiting for.... Little Tegan is now safely home following her spinal surgery and, although her rehabilitation journey is just beginning, everyone involved is incredibly pleased with how things have gone so far.

You will no doubt remember that when Tegan first came into our care, an MRI scan showed that she had a ruptured disc in her spine towards the end of her rib cage. Sadly, despite careful conservative treatment, she remained in quite a bit of pain and discomfort. One of the biggest challenges was that we simply didn't know how long the injury had been there before she came into rescue.

The level of pain Tegan was experiencing didn't quite match what could be seen on her original MRI scan, which led the team to think that there was likely to be some pressure on one of the nerve roots that perhaps couldn’t easily be seen from the original MRI scan.

The plan was to carry out a detailed MRI scan before the surgery to make sure there were no surprises before they started. Then to go in and remove as much of the damaged disc material as possible to relieve the pressure on both her spinal cord and the affected nerve.

The new scan, however, revealed that since her previous MRI in September, a second disc had ruptured, which explained why we had seen such a noticeable deterioration in recent months.

The good news is that this newer disc was successfully treated during surgery and the neurosurgeon was very pleased with the outcome.

The original disc proved to be more challenging. Because it had been damaged for likely a long time, it wasn't possible to safely remove enough of the disc material to completely relieve the pain. After careful consideration, the decision was made to sever the affected nerve root. Although this may leave Tegan with a small area of numbness or slightly looser skin in that region, it should prevent those pain signals from reaching her brain and make her much more comfortable.

There are some early changes in a few of her other spinal discs, so this is likely to be something we will need to manage going forward. The aim now is to keep her comfortable, support her carefully through rehabilitation, strengthen her body and help reduce the risk of future problems.

The surgery is a huge step forward, but now the real work begins.

Tegan came home over the weekend and she made us all smile! She had a real spring in her step and was absolutely over the moon to see her wonderful foster carers and, of course, Aunty Lisa, who travelled four hours and stayed nearby all week to support Tegan and oversee every stage of her care. We managed to capture the reunion on video and we think it might just make you smile too!

In the last few weeks, her foster home has been transformed ready for her procedure, with ramps, supportive beds and a cosy recovery pen, all introduced so everything would feel familiar. Judging by the photos, we think she rather approves of her new 'chill out time' accommodation!

She also celebrated being home in the best possible way... by completely demolishing her dinner before demanding a second helping, which, naturally, arrived without delay! Every bit of medication also disappeared wrapped in her favourite rabbit pâté.

None of this would have been possible without an incredible team of professional people we work with.  We'll continue to keep you updated as Tegan progresses through her rehabilitation journey.

Tegan's last set of imaging showed that even after carefully following the treatment plan from the referral neurologists, things haven’t resolved for her in a way that the 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.

An update from The Renew Centre

As promised, we’re bringing you the latest on our much-loved foster girl, Tegan, following her recent appointment at The Renew Centre.

We’re delighted to share that Tegan handled the visit beautifully, winning hearts the moment she arrived. The veterinary team were smitten, and her foster carers went above and beyond to ensure she was comfortable every step of the way. Their dedication and kindness mean Tegan is surrounded by love and the very best care.

What We’ve Learned So Far
We are still awaiting the specialist’s full scan report, expected in the coming days, but the initial findings have already provided us with some important insights:

• The disc Tegan previously ruptured has sadly gone again, just as we suspected.
• The scans have helped us understand her body more clearly, showing why she is predisposed to these painful episodes and why her pain can be more widespread when they occur.
• She received targeted treatment during her visit to help ease her discomfort immediately.
• Her medication plan has been adjusted to give her more effective support.

Once the final report arrives, her veterinary team will put together a long-term treatment plan designed to keep her as comfortable and happy as possible.

Looking Ahead
What we do know for certain is that Tegan will require ongoing care for the rest of her life. This makes your support more important than ever. Thanks to the generosity of our community, we have been able to get her this far. But to cover the cost of her scans, treatments, and continued comfort, we need to keep raising funds.

Hi everyone, Tegan here! Time for an update following Aunties Lisa and Suzanne’s Dynamic Dog Assessment!

Now they have put their very comprehensive report together, they have been chatting a lot with my lovely vet.  Everyone agrees things are not quite right and although my coat, skin and general wellbeing is really good since I have been on my new diet and supplements, we do need to do a bit more investigating to see why I am still not quite feeling at my absolute best when I am walking and moving.  So, a plan has been hatched!!  I am going to have a full MOT.

While I am asleep lots of things are going to be checked – they will take some blood to make sure everything is functioning as it should, x rays to check all the bits that everyone is frowning at when they watch me move about, clean and polish my teeth to make sure they are all healthy and pearly white, check my ears and have a good feel of my tummy and the bits inside (bladder etc), and check my anal glands – yuk, glad I will be a sleep for that one!

Once that’s all done there won’t be many bits of me that won’t have been checked, then my amazing care team can have a natter between them to decide on the next plan to help me feel top of the world!

Watch this space 

Tegan