Melanie's Tail Amputation

Melanie arrived in July and quickly impressed us with her sweetness, but her sharp-eyed foster mom noticed something was not quite right with her wag.  Her tail was limp, frequently tucked, and seemed painful to touch, but that did not stop her from wagging with her whole body, and letting us know she was happy to be a Peppertree  dog. 



To the vet she went and through x-rays we learned that this sweet Southern girl had a gap fracture at the first vertebrae of her tail, and she needed to see a neurologist because of the location, and the risk of nerve damage.  

At the neurology consult we learned that not only was this painful, explaining her reluctance to move her tail, it was making it impossible for her to fully empty her bladder on her own due to swelling that was impacting the sacral nerves.  The good news was amputating her tail at the fracture location should fix the pain, and allow the nerves to repair.

Melanie is scheduled for a surgical consult on Thursday, August 9th and if all goes well she will be admitted that same day for surgery.  We are expecting to face more diagnostic expenses, as well as the surgery itself, and are hoping to raise some money to help cover the costs which are estimated to be several thousand.  Melanie may lose her tail, but we are committed to help her keep her wag, please consider donating to this cause. 



Founded in 1998, Peppertree Rescue is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation supported completely by donations, adoption fees, and grants. Our all-volunteer, home-based organization guarantees that your donations are focused on saving dogs.  If funds are raised that exceeds Melanie's expenses, they money will be used towards other Peppertree dogs.