Help Lady Bird Recover from Critical Injuries

*Update from Jordan, 8/21*

We got to spend a little time visiting Bird today! One day out from surgery, we still don't know much more about her prognosis yet, but she's almost off of IV pain meds and has already accumulated quite the fan club amongst the CSU staff. Though she was pretty high, she seemed in good spirits during our visit.

Unfortunately, the implants used in her surgery ended up costing significantly more than CSU had originally quoted us. However, they are doing what they can to help us cover the gap between the $16k original estimate and the new total (around $20k). Hopefully, we'll know more by the end of the week. In addition to Leonard's knife making fundraiser, I've also been applying to various grants and veterinary funds for additional financial support.

Huge, huge thanks to all who have donated and shared her GFM, checked in on us, and generally been supportive of our family during this time. It really is making all the difference for us. ❤️

*Update from Jordan, 8/20 5:26 pm*

She's out of surgery! There was a bit of a scare with her pneumothorax at one point, but it's controlled and her back is now stabilized. Recovery will take a year, but we should know more specifics about her potential outcomes over the next 48 hours.

*Update from Jordan, 8/20*

Lady Bird entered surgery today around 1pm. Because of the damage to her lungs, they placed two chest tubes, and she is currently stable under anesthesia. She has three fractures in total, two in her mid back that are more mild (all things considered) and one vertebrae in her lower spine that is totally crushed. The surgery will implant screws that will reposition her spine and hold it in place as it heals. The riskiest part is that some of the fractured vertebrae is touching her spinal cord. While leaving it there decreases her chance of regaining mobility, trying to remove it could pose similar or worse risks.

We won't know more until she's out of surgery, and she's still looking at months of hard recovery, but we are becoming cautiously optimistic and are tentatively planning to bring her home later this week.

*Update from Jordan, 8/19*

We heard back from her specialized care team with mixed news.

She has two confirmed spinal fractures, one of which is pulverized. Despite that, they still think she has a 50/50 shot of walking after surger. Most importantly, perhaps, her rectal tone was verified to be intact, meaning that she is unlikely to experience fecal incontinence. We are more than prepared to support her if she needs a permanent wheelchair.

The doctors will perform surgery tomorrow or Wednesday and expect us to hit or exceed the 16k estimate. The generosity of our community to support us during this time has blown us away, and we are so thankful for the support. Thank you for helping to give our baby girl a fighting chance.

*UPDATE from Jordan, late night 8/18*

She is stable in the ICU at the CSU hospital. We were able to spend about 90 minutes on the drive up with her. She was heavily sedated but reacted very positively when we got there and she caught our scent, even licking my face at one point.

Her prognosis has improved since she was initially brought in. She had pneumothorax that was treated and seems to be improving. Thankfully, they were able to rule out any major internal injuries. At first, they thought she had no chance of regaining function in her back legs, but further testing has revealed that she is capable of feeling deep pain in her feet, which is an extremely positive sign for her potential to benefit from surgery. Doctors are even currently giving her a 50/50 chance of walking again with the surgery. Even if she can't walk and needs a wheelchair, surgery could give her a decent shot at being able to enjoy a good quality of life.

Tomorrow (Monday, 8/19) she will get a CT, pending her continuing to stabilize, with the intent of preparing for spinal surgery. The goal right now is to get her into surgery on Tuesday. We will update more as we learn more, but for now, things are finally taking a turn for the positive.

Thank you to all who have donated so far. We can't even begin to express how overwhelmed we are with gratitude.

**ORIGINAL POST**

Lady Bird needs your help! Over the weekend, she was hit by a car. She’s in critical condition and will be headed to CSU for further analysis and major surgery. We don’t know the full extent of her injuries just yet, but there is serious damage to her back and legs. We have an MRI scheduled for tomorrow 8/19, and we will find out more.

CSU has estimated her care and surgery will be around $16,000, and we’re ready to fight for this sweet baby girl. If you’re able to help at all, every little bit counts and is incredibly appreciated.

We will keep everyone updated as we know more, and again, thank you so much.