A rescue dog is back to her old self after vets replaced parts of her skull with a titanium mesh plate following an operation to remove a brain tumour.

The complex surgery took place at Hamilton Specialist Referrals in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire.

Sammy’s owner, Judy Horsford, from London, initially became concerned when the 10-year-old terrier began experiencing balance issues and tilting her head to one side.

“We took her to our daytime vet who tried anti-inflammatory drugs, but she then had a big seizure which was very scary,” said Mrs Horsford. 

“While we were waiting for the results of tests, we spotted a large lump on her head which we hadn’t noticed before. It was a real shock, and when she had scans that showed how massive the tumour was, it was really worrying.

“She was put on steroids, but we felt she must be really suffering, and if something wasn’t done, she wouldn’t last very long. We had to give her a chance.”

Sammy was referred to the state-of-the-art IVC Evidensia clinic at Hamilton’s for surgery on the uncommon, slow-growing bone tumour.

“In many such cases, we would have done an MRI scan, but we had the flexibility here to use a CT scan instead, which showed what was needed more quickly and easily,” said Dr Pete Smith, European Specialist in Veterinary Neurology. 

“It identified a large growth protruding deep into the skull and compressing large areas of Sammy’s brain.

“The surgery was complex, and we had to remove much of the side and back of her skull. Once removed, the brain was no longer compressed, but she would have been left with a very abnormal shape to her head and at risk of being injured by relatively minor incidents.

“We don’t use titanium mesh very often, but we’d had to remove so much of the skull there was nowhere for us to reattach the neck muscles.

“So, the mesh acted as a metal framework to protect the brain and allow the tissues to be reconstructed.

“We were able to mould the titanium and then screw it in place to the intact areas of the skull.”

Remarkably, Sammy was eating by the following morning and recovered so well that she was allowed home three days later.

“We were really careful at first, but her recovery really was beyond belief,” said Mrs Horsford. “We will be forever grateful to the team at Hamilton’s for giving Sammy her life back. Every day with her is a bonus, and she is certainly making the most of it.”  

Titanium mesh is often used to repair cranial defects in humans because of its low infection rate, high strength, and affordability. 

Studies show it also offers better brain protection and can lower the likelihood of a patient needing additional surgery. 

To find out more about IVC Evidensia Referrals, head over to the website here.