A Decision for a "Chance" . . .

Bo and I shopping at the Americana.
Found the Shirt. Couldn't resist>

The last 6 hours have been very traumatic, and I am creating this blog to share my experiences that I am going through with my dog, Bo. EVERYONE that has ever met him has fallen in love with him. He is a great dog, travel buddy (loves road trips), shopping buddy, and is really my best friend.

A few days ago, Bo started showing "symptoms" of discomfort. He refused to climb stairs that he typically would race me up, yelped when picked up, and wouldn't lay down or even sleep. As his discomfort grew, we finally decided to take him to the vet.

The vet ran several neurological tests, including flipping his back feet "over" to see if he would correct them. He responded to them, but was in obvious discomfort. The vet recommended that we watch him, give him some pain meds, and see how it goes. At that point it was believed that he had strained his back (soft tissue damage) or that he had eaten something that was causing intestinal blockage (he NEVER eats non-food items, so I doubted that).

As the night went on, Bo's condition started to deteriorate. Unsure what to do or how to ease his pain, we just watched him. He would complain but not lay down. He would whine, an

d grumble, which he would rarely do before. When we finally moved him we found that he had urinated in his crate (never happens). He was then taken outside, and he "took care of business", but not in his usual manner. He was loosing control of his legs and defecated all over himself because he wasn't able to position himself better. Upon asking the vet, they said it was probably the pain meds that he had been given, and to continue to watch him. Finally, after a night of moans and grumbles, Bo climbed out of his bed and literally dragged the back half of his body across the floor to a corner where he could lean against a wall for support. He had been sitting up for almost 24 hours. It was at that point we noticed he had, again, urinated in his bed.

Back to the vet again, and this time he did not respond to any of the neurological test he was given. He couldn't even stand on his back legs. He was shivering and looking into my eyes with so much despair, fear, and confusion that I had to fight as hard as I could not to cry. They referred us over to a specialist at Animal Specialty Group (ASG) in Glendale, CA. Since our vet had given them a "heads up" that we were coming, a vet tech was waiting for me a took Bo (yelping and shivering) from my arms to be evaluated.

Examination room. Coffee. Waivers.
Dr.'s sketches. Don't forget the bill.

After several minutes and a nervous cup of coffee, we were invited

into an examination room. Dr. Sullivan (http://www.asgvets.com/about-us/doctors-staff/) sat down with us to give us her assessment.

"Bo is paralyzed."

I remember hearing that and having it hit my chest. Did she say paralyzed? As in he doesn't want to move or he can't move?

She went on to explain that he has, what appears to be, a herniated disc in his spine. Herniated discs are not an un-common occurrence in canines, especially dogs involved with physical activities. Bo, not quite an active "sport" dog, is probably suffering through this for a different reason. Many Frenchies have genetic issues which causes crystallization of the disc fluids in their spine. This crystallization is probably what caused the disc to herniate, and that rupture is what is putting pressure on his spinal cord causing the paralysis.

She then went on to explain the prognosis. She explained good cases; symptoms, reactions, treatment, and 90% chance of full recovery. Next came bad cases; symptoms, reactions, treatment, and a 50/50% chance of full recovery.

Dr. Sullivan's explanation of what
was going on with Bo.

"Bo's symptoms ... bad case."

But she wasn't done. Bo has also lost control of his bladder. Bo's incontinence is an indication that this issue is of the most severe bad cases. She suggested that he might have a 30-40% chance of pulling through.

And she still wasn't done. If we do the surgery, and Bo recovers, everything is great. If he does not, we have to face a reality of a dog that is not only paralyzed in his back 2 legs, but also incontinent. Either one of those issues on their own is challenging to deal with, to say the least. Combined is a recipe for suffering and pain.

Training wheels and doggie wheelchairs, although heart-warming when you see little dog scooting around, are temporary. They can not be worn all the time as the dog needs to be able to lay down. This means confinement when not supervized.

In addition to being immobile, Bo will be incontinent. That will lead to more than messy clean-ups. Skin sores, lesions, and infections for the rest of his life. It will be unavoidable that he will have these complications because he will not be able to move.

After hearing all of this, I had one question. "What would you do if it was your dog?"

Dr. Sullivan explained that it did happen to her dog. First of all, she opted for the surgery instead of euthanization. Of course, her costs are less because she works there, but none-the-less, it's what she would have chosen. Her dog did not recover. She has access to the best care for a dog in those circumstances (paralyzed and incontinent). She could bring her dog in for supervision by staff every day at work, and made the decision to put her dog down. She knew the path ahead for her dog, and as my brother put it, knew that she would be "keeping her dog alive for her benefit, not for the benefit of her dog".

I love my dog. He has, in so many ways, been my best friend. I have had many life challenges in the last few years, and to say that my friend Bo has been there with me through it all is an understatement.

He deserves a "chance to fight".

So the decision has been made, we will have the surgery, no matter the cost. I am not expecting help from anyone, but will accept the generosity of others. All I can ask for is your prayers. If you want to do more, you can "ChipIn" for Bo's Surgery. If you know me personally, you know how to get a hold of me.

Thank you in advance for your love and support for my "friend", Bo.

Alejandro

http://mydogbo.chipin.com/bos-surgery