COLUMBIA, SC.....We have been saving dogs for a long time and have never had a case more complicated than Maya, the two-year-old Cane Corso we rescued. A good Samaritan picked Maya up after she was found on the side of the road. Cane Corso rescues were contacted, and she was taken to an ER in Columbia. Maya's injuries are massive. No one was willing to go out on a limb to get this young pup the medical care she needed. Maya had complex pelvic and sacrocaudal spinal fractures and hip luxations.
Maya has so many injuries that it is almost impossible to list them all. She was in terrible pain and was unable to walk. We asked for extensive diagnostics so I could determine if we could help Maya. In the end, I agreed because no one else was going to save her. I wasn't sure if I could save her, but I was willing to give this massive 92 lb. dog a chance.
The pain Maya was in was unimaginable. She must have been hit by a massive truck because her pelvis, hips, and sacrum are shattered. She has so much damage that it is hard to believe she is still smiling and sweet. She has been heavily sedated to keep her pain under control. The biggest problem has been determining what to work on first and what could give her the best outcome.
I have gone round and round with every surgeon and neurologist, and each has a different answer. The biggest problem is that even if we proceed surgically, she could still have so much pain that I must put her down. During weeks like this, I HATE the decisions that must be made. Maya is a beautiful young dog that someone just abandoned. Her injuries are over a week old and possibly longer, making big bones hard to move.
The cost of proceeding would be close to $20,000 to save Maya's life. I negotiated with the hospital and finally realized I had done everything humanly possible. It was now or never. I chose NOW and said to proceed based on what the surgeons thought would give her the best chance. Maya's most significant issue was her sacrum was broken.
The pain Maya was experiencing was predominately coming from the nerves in her sacrum. If we could stabilize her hips and sacrum, she could recover. It was a long shot, but it was one worth taking.
The first surgery did not go as well as planned. Maya's bones had been out of alignment for so long that the pins would not hold. The surgeons were dealing with massive bones that wanted to return to where they had been for weeks. Dr. Patti Sura finally got one of the pins to hold. She brought Maya out of anesthesia and prepared me for the pin not to hold. We each agreed that I would put Maya down if the pin did not hold.
The pin held for two days, and her pain level improved. Dr. Sura ordered external fixatures for a large breed dog so she could pin her pelvis back together and manually adjust it externally. It was a long shot, but it was her only hope for stabilizing Maya's pelvis.
Maya's surgery was unbelievably long. It was a long day filled with lots of worry and anxiety. I was sent pictures of the apparatus that would potentially give Maya her Life back. Maya will have to remain in ICU for another week, and her Rehab will begin at CVRC.
This is just the beginning of Maya's Journey. Please give as much as you can Donate so we can continue with Maya's Care. Her bills are astronomical and will be coming in for a while. We stepped up when NO ONE else would and had to make the hard decisions. Bills like this can break a rescue. I believe in our Noah's Arks Rescue Community and Maya. She is one tough dog to endure all she has and still fights to stay here.
We hope she can stand independently in the next couple of days. They are slowly weaning her off her pain meds and will remove her urinary catheter during that time. Please, keep Maya in your Prayers.
