He Could Still Walk. His Back Was Broken.

[00:00:05][music] [music] >> Hi. This is me and actually not the great house. Sebastian, one of the little Chihuahuas that were rescued after his owner died and they remained alone in the apartment, has fallen and he has damaged his vertebra. Now, Chihuahuas are so tiny. You know, people carry them and very often they fall and this is one of the main reasons why they hurt themselves. But today, Sebastian, who loves to hang out in the sofa, decided to jump and in that jump he hurt himself. This is Sebastian at the vet.

[00:00:47]This is an emergency.

[00:01:07]>> He's trembling all over.

[00:01:43]>> [music] >> Do you know whether he lost consciousness?

[00:02:39]>> No, he didn't lose consciousness.

[00:03:32]>> One of his vertebrae is compressed, but there is still some space.

[00:03:37]>> A spinal injury.

[00:03:40]How is something like that treated?

[00:03:42]>> Not easily. Surgery could be considered, but his age also has to be taken into account, and he isn't young.

[00:03:53]>> Anti-inflammatory medication, pain relief, and complete rest, but he should really be assessed by a neurologist.

[00:04:00]>> But what exactly is there?

[00:04:02]>> There is a fracture. As it hasn't been displaced, there isn't any severe compression.

[00:04:08]>> I've noticed him walking strangely. I don't know how to explain it, but it was as though this leg wasn't working properly.

[00:04:15]>> At the moment, he is only showing signs of pain.

[00:04:25]Do you know how much he weighs?

[00:04:27]>> Not at the moment, because he has put on a bit of weight.

[00:04:31]>> This is the spine, or the vertebral column as we call it in veterinary medicine. This here is the spinal canal.

[00:04:38]Each vertebra is a bone with an arch, and all those arches together form a kind of tunnel. The spinal cord runs through that tunnel. It contains all the nerves that come from the brain and branch out throughout the body, so that everything can function.

[00:04:54]At this level here, it looks as though there is a ventrodorsal subluxation. It has moved like this. [snorts] Taking into account what happened to him, I would say it was caused by the trauma. It also looks as though there is a compression fracture of the third lumbar vertebra. I would prefer him to be seen by a neurologist, a specialist in neurology.

[00:05:15]>> Yes, because any movement, what is the danger?

[00:05:18]>> The problem is that it could continue to move. If it shifts completely, it could sever the spinal cord.

[00:05:25]>> The problem is that when you handle him to try to help him in any way, you've seen how distressed he get, and there is a risk that it could end up >> Of course. Now that we've had to handle him, we've used a muzzle and supported him from both sides. You can hold and move him safely from here.

[00:05:55]>> [music] >> What is his name? We'll open a patient file for him.

[00:06:26]He's beautiful.

[00:06:29]Has he been at the rescue center for long?

[00:06:32]>> He's been there for about 6 months. His owner passed away and left four dogs inside the house. After he died, they remained there until someone spotted them and we rescued all four.

[00:07:17]>> So, we went to Juan thinking that it was a minor thing. Well, it turns out that he has a broken vertebra and his spinal cord is fractured and he's at risk of complete paralysis. He can wait for a few [music] hours, but in the meantime, we are organizing with one of the best trauma surgeons in the country to fix him. Now, this is an emergency.

[00:07:38]Sebastian needs to go into surgery and I need to ask for your help. Please [music] donate. Help us save little Sebastian. He needs you. Thank you.