'Nellie' the Rottweiler

All of us at RSPCA Qld would like to thank the hundreds of people who have phoned, emailed and written inquiring about the health of Nellie the female Rottweiler cross who was found beside the road near Woodford. As you know, initial examination by the vets at the Range Veterinary Surgery in Peachester suggested she had been sexually abused and there was bruising and bleeding to the anus and vagina.

Nellie came to the RSPCA’s Fairfield Shelter and was then transferred to the University of Queensland’s Veterinary Surgery where she underwent a series of X -rays and internal examinations.

The results of these are as follows:

1) Her right hip is dislocated and won't stay in. She will need her hip replaced with a toggle pin.

2) The wing of the pelvis has multiple fractures.

3) She has a haematoma (blood blister), that is 1" x 1.5", 15 cm into the vagina on the dorsal wall. However it does not penetrate the rectal wall which is good news. Veterinary opinion is that this was caused by blunt trauma, possibly a foreign body that was forcibly inserted.

4) She is faecally and urinary incontinent and has a sacrococcygeal fracture. This is similar to a tail pull lesion more frequently seen in cats. She cannot use her tail but does have some sensation. As the fracture is unstable and putting pressure on her nerves to this area she will have to have her tail amputated.

5) She has lumbosacral instability L7-S1. (The spinal column where the bones of the back meet the sacrum). They cannot say if this was recent or has been there for a while. She needs spinal surgery to correct that which involves a dorsal laminectomy and stabilisation.

6) At first it appeared she might have peritonitis but this came back all clear on the ultrasound.

7) Bloods etc ok

8) Her bladder wall is very, very thickened and swollen. Consequently she has an indwelling catheter in place and has been started on broad spectrum antibiotics to clean up the cystitis.

In layman’s terms then her condition is not good and of course we have to consider if she’s going to have quality of life, even after the extensive and intensive surgery that is required. Expert opinion suggests that there is a possibility she will remain faecally and urinary incontinent.

Perhaps unsurprisingly on top of all the medical problems she is now showing signs of aggression, particularly toward men. Sadly this is something we see quite regularly with dogs who have been abused. Sometimes the trauma leads to extreme timidity, at others it results in aggression to humans and other dogs.

The good news however is that we have not given up on Nessie. We do not have the necessary facilities to operate here at Fairfield, so Nellie has been taken back the Range Veterinary Surgery where she can be kept in a quiet environment in the days leading up to her surgery.

Ultimately of course a decision will be made on what is best for her and whether she can look forward to quality of life in the years ahead.

We thank you all for your interest and concern and will certainly keep you updated on any new developments.

In the meantime we are still hoping to hear from anyone who may know the whereabouts of Nellie’s owner or anyone who saw her recently and may have information about her previous circumstances. She was found beside the road on the D’Aguilar Highway, two and a half kilometres west of Woodford.

Michael Beatty

Media & Community Relations Manager

RSPCA QLD

UPDATE: