Tess- the Incredible

From Sunday's Outdoors section of the Clarion-Ledger

Almost a dog-gone shame
Emergency work, MSU save head-shot Lab
From special reports • February 17, 2009

Tess had 26 shotgun pellets in her head from a hunting accident in December, as the X-ray from Mississippi State shows, but she survived to hunt again for owner Steve Horn of Madison before the duck season ended.

STARKVILLE — Shot in the head, with a pellet in the middle of its brain, things looked bleak for Steve Horn's young hunting partner, Tess, an 18-month-old Labrador retriever in December.
But with quick thinking by Horn, emergency help from a Delta veterinarian and continued care by Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), Tess not only survived but hunted again by duck season's end.

Tess was accidentally shot in the head with a shotgun while on a Delta duck hunt early one Sunday morning in December. "As soon as she was shot, she began swimming to me," said Horn, of Madison. "I waded out to get her and scooped her up and we put her in a boat. She got really cold and went into a deep shock." Horn performed CPR on Tess and noted her rapid breathing but strong heartbeat. He wrapped her in his heavy hunting coat to warm her as her body temperature dropped.

Back at his truck, Horn raced Tess to Dr. Royann Leflore at the Greenwood Animal Hospital. Leflore and staff warmed the dog, gave it steroids and antibiotics and stabilized her with intravenous drips for the emergency truck ride to MSU.

Dr. Christine Bryan, an intern in CVM's Clinical Sciences Department, was the primary veterinarian who managed Tess' care. "At the time of her arrival and assessment, I gave Tess a grave prognosis for survival and an even worse prognosis for a semi-normal life as a pet," Bryan said. "I told the owners that if she survived, I felt that she would never be able to hunt again, but hopefully she would be able to be a house pet."

CVM staff gave Tess medication to reduce brain swelling, sedate her and prevent seizures. They placed her on oxygen and gave intravenous fluids to maintain her blood pressure and keep her hydrated. She received pain medication and was X-rayed.
The results were scary. "The (X-rays) revealed approximately 26 pellets around the skull," Bryan said.
On the second day, a CT scan showed a shotgun pellet in the dead center of her brain.
"The CT scan revealed that one pellet had penetrated her skull at about the middle left lateral aspect of her brain and was situated between the two hemispheres," Bryan said. "If the pellet had not followed its exact trajectory, it could have caused more extensive brain damage, lacerated a blood vessel, penetrated both brain hemispheres or caused uncontrollable hemorrhage in the brain."
On Day 2, the staff continued to give Tess medications to prevent seizures, to reduce brain swelling and to keep her sedated. She was given antibiotic ointment in both eyes to treat an ulcer on her left eye.
That night she began eating a little bit.
By Day 3, Tess could curl into a typical resting dog pose, but she could neither sit nor stand.
The CVM staff continued her medications, intravenous fluids and oxygen, and Tess continued to eat soft food and began drinking water.
On Day 4, she pulled herself to a sitting position and an hour later began walking, although she was unsteady and her head tilted to the right. Doctors removed Tess' oxygen and took her off the seizure and brain swelling medications.
By Day 5, Tess was walking with only a slight head tilt and could eat, drink and relieve herself normally.
On Day 6, she was released to her owners with medications and specific instructions on how to continue her therapy and rehabilitation at home.
"She had improved so much in those six days that we determined she would be able to have a great quality of life," Bryan said. "She still had some neurological deficiencies, and was unsteady when she walked and did not appear confident when stepping up or down."
When she left, Tess' prognosis was that she would be able to function well as a pet and possibly could run, swim and hunt again one day.
"For the first two weeks she was unstable on the wood floors at home and didn't want to go up steps, but she's totally normal now," Horn said. "She is hunting as good as ever and doesn't appear to know what happened to her."
Horn said he was not surprised at Tess' recovery because of the care she received from both the Greenwood veterinarian and MSU's veterinary college.
"Everyone should have an emergency plan when they go out hunting. I had no idea what to do when the accident happened," Horn said. "Everybody should know where the nearest veterinarian is located and have an emergency phone number for the clinic.
"They also should have an emergency plan and know how to contact the vet school."


http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20090217/SPORTS08/902150317/1025