07/09/2023 - Star started yelping and panting nonstop in so much pain yeserday we rushed her to our local vet for help. She was given pain relief and sent home. Today she was no better so we returned her to the vets in the morning and she seemed unsteady on her back legs. The vets kept her in for the day to run blood test and told us in the afternoon she might have a disc extrusion and she need to go a specialist vet. We picked her up and drove 2 hours to the Specialist, when we arrived Star couldn’t walk at all.

08/09/2023 - Star had a MRI scan and had a left-side L2/3 hemilaminectomy operation performed at L2/3 using a pneumatic surgical drill. Extruded, calcified nucleus pulposus disc material was removed from the vertebral canal to decompress the spinal cord. The T13/L1, L1/2, and L2/3 intervertebral discs were fenestrated.

09/09/2023 - The next day, the vet said that when they pinched her toes to check if she had feeling in them, she looks around.

The bill so far is £6,500 and rising; the vets said that if she stays with them for another 2 days to a week, depending on whether she can urinate on her own and be comfortable on oral pain medication, it will cost a lot more.

10/09/2023 - Star is wagging her tail at the nurses today when she is out and seems to have a little bit of movement in one leg. They think she might of have had a wee, but they are not sure if it was the overflow. They are going to take her off the strong meds and try oral meds and see how she is and get her outside with a harness and do physiotherapy. They are going to keep her in for a couple more days.

11/09/2023 - Stars vet phoned and said star had movement in both legs, going toilet on her own and is happy on oral medication, so she could come home. She has staples in her back and cannot yet walk, but with lots of physiotherapy, she has a good chance of walking again. We are picking her up tonight.

22/09/2023 - The bandage fell off today; she has seven staples and has a large seroma that is the size of an egg on her back. We have phoned the emergency vet and she is getting it checked tomorrow.

23/09/2023 - Staples were removed today and there is no concern about the seroma; it is expected to decrease in a couple of weeks.

10/10/2023 - The seroma has decreased significantly and the surgical incision had begun to heal.

17/10/2023 - Star was such a lovely, happy, and active dog before her accident, and now she can only take a few steps before her back legs give out. She only goes outside for a few minutes four to five times a day to go the toilet with the help of a sling.

03/11/2022 - Star had a bad day and night with her pancreatitis. She has been feeling lethargic and has had abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. She is back on pain medication and has started to feel a bit better today.

Our pet insurance covered the first £3,000 but it has now run out. We have maxed out our credit cards and borrowed money, but it still isn’t enough, we still have a huge vet bill to pay and ongoing care. Our pet insurance cover is £3,000 per condition and renews every year. We didn’t anticipate the cost of vet treatment and never imagined this terrible disease would occur.

The vet said she has a good chance of walking again with lots of physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, and ongoing care. We would like to get her a stroller to help her enjoy her life again. If Star is able to walk again, she will never be allowed to use stairs, steps, or jump on furniture again incase she relapses and gets IVDD again; she will need to use ramps. Our world changed forever that day.

We know everyone is struggling financially at the moment, and we feel awful asking for donations. We don't know what else I can do to help her. We would be so grateful for any donation; it will really help Star, She means the world to us 🐾

Thank you x

I will continue to post updates on this page

Heres some photos of her before and after her disease.

The fur has grown back 🥰