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We are stronger together than we are alone!

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Katie JefferyDeanMy dog Katie is a Lab/Beagle mix and she is the adopted mother of two Boston Terriers, one of which came from a Rescue.

Back in April, when I was letting them in from their last bathroom call for the night, the two Boston’s were ready to come in and Katie let out a big yelp.

 

When she got in sight I could tell she was walking funny, but as she got closer I could see was dragging her back end. I quickly picked her up and carried her to the basement.

I looked her over and could find nothing wrong but she had no use of her back legs or hind tail. I stayed with her all night to comfort her and she would keep looking back as if to say why aren’t you working.

Early the following morning, I took her to an Emergency Vet that didn’t give much hope other than to do a lot of tests and charge about $1500. I refused his services and took Miss Katie with me.

On my way home I called my Vet.  Since it was on Sunday, I knew there was no one there but I left a message. In just a few minutes Dr. Clark’s wife returned my call and met me at their office. Dr. Clark had me lay Katie on the ground so he could observe her.

I was expecting the worst and had prepared myself to have her put to sleep, but Dr. Clark said he was not ready to for that. He said I had several options.

One was to take her to a specialist in Charlottesville or to take her to Va. Tech and said would cost maybe upwards of $5000 and I was pushing my time frame because they liked to have their patients at their facility soon after they are hurt.

 My second option was to leave her with the him, the vet,  for a few days and see what happens

I chose the second option mostly because there was no guarantee with either process.

So I left Katie and got a phone report on her condition each morning.  I also went down and saw her before going to work in the afternoon. There was no change in her for about three or four days, then she started getting some movement in the right leg but was still dragging the left one.

She needed to be walked using a towel to hold her up so she could get exercise. The vets staff exercised her every day and I did when I was there. Every day she was making improvement with the right leg, but still very weak but getting stronger.

I made a decision to keep Katie there a second week while I looked around for someone to help me when she came home.  I found Sandy and Ronnie and their two daughters to help me out with exercising and walking Katie.

After two weeks, my Katie came home -  lots of improvement had been made, but still not much from the left leg. I walked her several times after getting her home and called my great neighbors to come down to make sure they were comfortable with what they were going to need to do. At that point I was still using a towel to support her back end.

When Sandy and Ronnie got there, I met them in the front yard and said you really need to see this girl. In just a matter of hours after getting home Katie had started supporting her weight with her right leg but still very weak, maybe 60 percent with the left one at 10 percent.

Well to shorten things up a little Katie improved and improved for the next several weeks and a lot of that was with the help of my GREAT neighbors help. They have two Boston’s and I fell in love with Miss Katie and my two boys, letting them out to exercise.

My Katie is close to 100% in her right leg and 75 % plus in her left leg. I am so thankful my vet didn’t give up on her and to have the great neighbors I have, we have become close friend and from someone I barely knew before this.

I have learned never give up hope to quickly and love your friends, family and four legged family all you can while you can. (The people who helped were several blocks away not like next door neighbors

Forgot to mention the only thing the vet said was she either slipped a disc or had a pinched nerve.



Edited by Julie Bradford