Sweet Angie is not a candidate at this time for surgery based on the injuries she has. Her spinal cord is swollen but not damaged from the buckshot and going in to remove the pellets would potentially cause her to be paralyzed. That is not a risk we are going to take based on how she is doing. The peripheral nerves that connect her limbs are the ones that are damaged and those have an amazing ability to regenerate. She has a long road ahead of extensive Physical Therapy, which will include Underwater Treadmill Therapy, Laser and Passive Resistance Therapy.
She has advanced to a two person sling that will get her moving with assistance. She has made a lot of progress but is nowhere near where she needs to be to be to walk on her own. She may always have a deficit in one area or another, but should be able to function and walk on her own eventually. I know a lot of people are disappointed she is not a candidate for surgery. Surgery is not for every animal. We have to weigh the risks with the possible outcome based on each animal. The good news is that Dr. Bergman believes Angie will do well without surgery.
We have an appointment with an Eye Specialist to determine if there is anything we can do for Angie's one eye. We have to determine the underlying cause of her eye issue. Once we do that, only then can we determine if it is fixable.
The other issue we are dealing with is that she has large nipples that rub against her skin and trap moisture. Add using a harness on top of that and you end up with a bad rash from all the irritation. The Specialists are treating that and coming up with a plan to use the Lift-Up harness in a way, so it does not cause further irritation.
Angie is a beautiful, shy pup that wants nothing more than to lay her head on someone's lap and have her head patted. Everyone that has worked with her falls in love. She is as sweet as can be and will make someone a very special girl to love forever. She is not incontinent so going to the bathroom is not a problem once she is up and taken outside.
We are very low on Donations for this wonderful girl. Please, Donate whatever you can so we can get her bills paid at the ER Hospital where she is now before she leaves and goes to another Hospital for Rehab. Thanks for caring and helping us save Angie.
