Hi everyone,
We wanted to provide an update regarding Skylah, who came into our care after being rescued by our Inspectorate from a neglectful situation last year.
Recently, she was returned to her original foster family, as well as joining together with trusted rescue partner Forever Friends Animal Rescue (FFAR), while she awaits surgery. As Skylah has previously spent several months with her foster family it’s an environment we know she is very happy in and, now we understand her likely condition (Occult Tethered Cord Syndrome), she can be kept comfortable with limited exercise to prevent further pain or exacerbation and focusing on mental enrichment.
We’d like to thank both her foster family and FFAR for the incredible work they have done to understand the complexities of Skylah’s condition, ensuring they’re across her specific care requirements both while she awaits surgery and following. While Skylah will now remain in their care of her foster family and FFAR, RSPCA Victoria will cover the cost of the surgery.
The cause of Occult Tethered Cord Syndrome, an incredibly rare condition, is thought to be a congenital abnormality in a band of fibrous tissue called the Filium Terminale. This fibrous tissue connects the spinal cord (nerves) to the spine bones while still allowing normal movement. Abnormal thickening of this tissue causes inflexibility and stretching in the spinal cord, this in turn causes pain and the neurological signs we have seen in Skylah.
Skylah’s surgery will likely involve removing the top portion of one of the spinal bones to access the canal where this fibrous attachment lives. This attachment is cut during the surgery so the spinal cord can regain normal flexibility and reduce/remove pain and neurological dysfunction.
In addition to this being a complex surgery, as most people are aware, all surgeries have an element of risk with general anaesthesia complications or post-operative complications such as infection. Thankfully, surgery for this condition carries a good prognosis with full recovery possible within 2 months. However, recurrence may occur down the line, requiring repeat surgery or ongoing medication.
Skylah will need many weeks of strict rest post-surgery to allow her to heal, but we should know if surgery has been successful after around 6-8 weeks. During her time with our vets, behaviourists and foster carers we were able to document a comprehensive outline of the behaviours Skylah displays when she’s in pain, this will help determine if the surgery has been a success. She will also be having post-surgery vet checks to gauge to efficacy of her surgery during her recovery period.
As yet, we don’t have a date for her surgery. This will be performed by a specialist veterinary neurologist and will be dependent on their availability.
In addition to once again thanking her foster family and FFAR for their love and care for Skylah, we’d also like to thank our teams who have worked so hard to support Skylah during her time with us, and to the community for the love they have shown her.
When more information is available regarding next steps for Skylah we’ll let people know.
