Speck

3 years old, adopted

Update June 24, 2022: Congratulations, Speck!

Fridays are always the best days, but this one is a big step above the rest. Why? Because we’re celebrating our boy Speck and his long-awaited adoption!

Speck joined the SECR family in October after being severely injured in a hit-and-run car accident. His owner was elderly, battling dementia, and unable to provide the critical care Speck needed following his accident, so he and his family turned to us to give their boy a fighting chance. Speck was suffering from severe pelvic fractures and a broken ball joint, road burn, and resulting infection. His foster family – one of the most experienced ones we have – saw him through pre-surgical bloodwork and scans, post-surgical recovery, and weeks upon weeks of therapeutic care to get Speck quite literally back on his feet. He needed crate rest, limited movement on quick walks that required the help of a sling to move him where he needed to go, and a creative approach to helping him lose some weight despite having little to no activity. Speck required round-the-clock-care, and while we’d do it for ANY corgi that needed us, there was something about him that was just a little extra special. He had a long, steep road to climb yet always dazzled his foster family with his beautiful smile, his zest for life, and what we always took to be genuine appreciation for everything we (and the donors who support us) did to save his life.

Speck made a full recovery and sailed through his trial adoption with a new family that we’re certain will appreciate all the amazing things we know to be true about him forever. This boy is one that will always stand out for showing us what it means to rescue, and we look forward to following his long and happy journey for years to come. Congratulations Speck and family!

Update October 12, 2021

Last night we put out a call for help for our boy Speck, and as always, our supporters rose to the challenge. In less than 24 hours we raised more than $5,700 for Speck’s emergency veterinary care and pelvic surgery, and we can’t thank you enough for making things happen for this good boy.

Speck is recovering from yesterday’s surgery and is showing some improvement. He ate this morning, is tapering off the IV and transitioning to oral meds, and has a better overall disposition. His reaction to his veterinary care team showed he was anticipating pain when they approached him but his responses are much better today.

We are hoping Speck will be released into his foster home on Thursday, but between now and then he has some more healing to do from road burns and post-surgical swelling. Once he is released into our care Speck will be immobilized for 8-10 weeks while he recovers from his surgery, only taking quick potty breaks outside with mobility support from his humans. Speck was also overweight when we took him in, about 46 pounds, so we’ll be monitoring his portions carefully during the recovery period and after to make sure he doesn’t put on any more weight that may strain his joints.

Update October 9, 2021

We are getting regular updates from our ER vets on Speck’s condition, and are thankful he’s made some slight improvements. He was extremely dehydrated when admitted, and some of his bloodwork was concerning. Today’s update indicates he is no longer anemic but the protein in his blood is dropping, felt to be caused by his wounds oozing. If his levels keep dropping he may get an infusion of a protein supplement to prevent edema.

Speck’s road burns are severe and continue to concern us and his vets. One of his back legs had a large area where the skin was rubbed off and appeared blackened. However, the wounds are fortunately looking a bit better today. We are hoping to see continued improvement through the weekend so Speck can have his first surgery early in the week.

October 8, 2021: Welcome Speck!

Earlier this week SECR was contacted about Speck, a three-year-old corgi who went missing from his home in Georgia and was found the next day badly injured after having been hit by a car. His owner is battling dementia and other critical health issues, and is no longer able to provide the care Speck needs, especially in his critical state. The family asked us to step in, and we responded quickly to get Speck the urgent health care he needs.

We immediately took Speck to our emergency vet yesterday, and this sweet boy is in very rough shape. He’s suffering from multiple pelvic fractures and a broken ball joint, likely necessitating multiple surgeries to repair and allow him to regain his mobility. He also has several wounds and road burn on his legs from the impact of the accident, causing a great deal of pain and infection. In addition to dressing his wounds, our emergency vets are administering pain medication to keep Speck comfortable and antibiotics to battle his infection. They are also doing repeat bloodwork and other vital checks. We also had Speck evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon who confirmed the gravity of his injuries and he was sedated today for a CT scan to further examine the extent of Speck’s injury and ensure he is in well-enough condition for his first surgery. We expect the results of the CT on Monday, and are hoping to get the all-clear for emergency surgery on Tuesday. In the meantime, Speck will stay with the emergency vet where he’ll be monitored around the clock and receive constant wound and pain management.

Our vets are very concerned about the severity of Spec’s wounds, and only time will tell if they can get him far enough out of the woods to improve his prognosis and bet on a successful surgery. If we get there Spec will still have a long road of aggressive surgeries ahead of him, followed by what is likely to be months of recovery. His treatment will be intensive and very costly, but we are happy his family came to us for help and are doing everything we can for this boy because he deserves every chance we can give him to regain mobility and live a long, pain-free, and happy life.

Thanks to the amazing donations that we received for Dewey, we were able to pay it forward by using those funds to cover the cost of some of Speck’s care.

This is Dewey’s legacy. This is rescue.