We can't Save Every Frenchie. But we always try.

Recently, a Northern California FBRN volunteer received a late afternoon call from a local shelter about a three year old female frenchie scheduled to be euthanized. If our volunteer could get there before closing they would release her to FBRN. "Spring" had been dropped at the shelter that day by
her owner. A few days before, she had gone down in the rear. The vet said
xrays and surgery were needed immediately if there was to be any hope for Spring's recovery. Her owner opted to dump her at the shelter to be euthanized instead.

On her vet's instructions, our volunteer took Spring straight to the emergency hospital, where the staff was waiting. After the neurological exam, the team of vets recommended that Spring be put on IV steroids overnight and go directly to the surgery specialists in the morning. Our volunteer knew time was of the essence in a case like this so she asked about having the surgeons come in that night, but was assured that due to the complicated nature of the procedure, the surgical group would want to wait until morning before proceeding.

The next morning everything went like clockwork. Following additional examination and an MRI confirming the diagnosis of a ruptured disc with a 90% chance of recovery, Spring was prepped for surgery. Spring's palate was very bad, and the team decided to correct it rather than risk putting her
under twice.

The surgery went well, and everyone was hopeful. Nevertheless, that night, Spring struggled with serious respiratory difficulty. They had to intubate her to keep her alive. The vets ruled out the palate as the problem, and suspected cardiac or lung issues. At 4am they said they would give her a half hour to see if she improved, and if she didn't it was time to let her go. At 4:30am Spring had earned another half hour. At 5:30am they were able to remove the tube. She was put in an oxygen tent and was breathing on her own, stable for the time being. Still, her heart was a major concern.
She was already showing some neurological improvement in her rear - the surgery appeared to have been a success! - Now if her little heart could just beat on.

Hours later, Spring went into cardiac arrest. They performed CPR on her and tried mightily to save her. It was not to be. A great sadness descended on the veterinary hospital, our heroic volunteer, and the FBRN community at large who had been glued to their email screens throughout the ordeal. We had done everything we could. Spring was gone.

It is unlikely that many rescue organizations would have been able to respond to an emergency like Spring's. Even with deep discounts from committed veterinary specialists, the monetary costs of trying to save her were enormous. In the end, we lost her. Was it worth it? Yes it was.
Spring was a frenchie in great need, and FBRN pulled out all the stops trying to save her. It didn't go our way this time, and we are so very sad.
But it could have. There was a good chance. Coming to Spring's aid to give her a chance at a wonderful life is what FBRN is all about.

We can't save every frenchie. But we always, always, try. We owe it to all FBRN dogs, past and future--the few who didn't make it to their forever, happy homes and the hundreds who did--to keep trying, day after day after day.

Please donate to help defray the costs associated with the effort to save Spring. Though we couldn't save her, there will be other frenchies in distress, and we need to be ready to help them, day after day after day.