It seems like when it rains it pours when it comes to animal medical emergencies. Last month, we had Remington in Critical Care for most of the month. It seemed like he was never going to win his battle. Several weeks ago, we got a call from Brodie's Family saying he was lame in his rear leg. We immediately got him to his Neurologist, Dr. Jason King at Live Oak Veterinary Neurology (LOVN) in Savannah, GA that had done spinal surgery for Wobbler Disease. Once Brodie arrived, Dr. King knew immediately it was not his spine that was causing the lameness. Brodie's leg was swelling rapidly, and his fever was near 106. I rushed to pick up our big boy and took him to CVRC in Charleston where he was admitted. He was immediately put on fluids to get the fever down, and the Specialists were brought in to determine what was causing the swelling. Lots of x-rays were done, and aspirates from the swelling area were taken and sent off. It took several days to get the results back, but he was put on antibiotics while we waited. Our sweet boy was so sick he did not want to eat or drink. He also was in such horrible pain that the thought of walking was too much for him. Brodie was kept comfortable with pain meds. Big dogs need to be moving around, or fluid builds up in their extremities. It was now not one leg that was swollen, but all of them were swelling. The lab results came back, and we were all shocked, Brodie had Canine Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome associated with Necrotizing Fasciitis. Brodie's entire body had become septic with the worst of the worst infections. Our biggest fear was happening right in front of our eyes and no matter what we did, Brodie was probably not going to make it.
To saw we were in shock is an understatement. We had Remington in one ICU and now Brodie had come in and was even more critical than Remington. We had waited to post for Brodie because we knew his chance of survival was only 20%. That did not mean we were not doing everything humanly possible to save. We were pulling out all the stops and saying prayers left and right. Brodie is one of our dogs and one that we have loved from the minute we rescued him. Brodie is still a baby and not even a year old. The fear we were going to lose him was palpable. Every hour of the day was filled with dread. When the phone would ring during the night for updates, my heart would skip a beat. Between Remington and Brodie, this past month has pushed my heart to the limit. Life is just not fair at times and this month was one of those times.
Brodie began to show signs of organ damage from the infection and kidney damage from the antibiotics that he had to have. We had to get the main source of the infection out of his body, or he would die a terrible death. Our only hope now was to use the Vacuum System we bought for Freckles that allows us to put a tube surgically into the area where the bulk of the infection is coming from. X-rays were taken to see the exact area where the tube had to be placed. Eighteen inches of tubing was placed inside Brodie's leg almost to the very top. Vacuum bandages were put on, and the containers were attached. The machine immediately began to draw fluid out of his leg. By the end of the day, we had pulled off six containers of infected fluid. The machine ran non-stop for one week draining as much infection as possible. All through the night, the ICU staff watched and prayed. On about the eighth day, a Miracle happened. The fluid totally changed that was draining, and it was almost clear without any blood. His fever became normalized and stable. He was not out of the woods, but the massive swelling had gone done remarkably. Sweet Brodie got to go home for a short period but unfortunately he is back in ICU. All the infection that ran through his rear leg has caused bone damage and extensive inflammation. Our Orthopedic Surgeon, Dr. Jennifer Au is now over his care and is reaching out to several Specialists to see what we can do to prevent Brodie from losing his leg. His infection is mostly gone, but there is just enough still there that his body has an auto-immune response. Brodie is back in danger again. His chances are far greater than they were the last time of surviving but not very good for his leg.
We need all the prayers we can get for this wonderful pup. We got wiped out financially with him last time and have no way to deal with what is still going on. Please, help us with these massive medical bills. The stress of dealing with these horrible infections is bad enough, but the stress of the massive bills is right up there with it. Please, DONATE, as much as your can or as little as your can. We are desperate for funds because of the last month of ICU cases. More animals need to be saved, and we can't do anything if I get wiped out financially. I am the back-up for every animal. If funds don't come in, I am the one that makes sure financially they get the care they need. No animal is ever NOT treated. Please, HELP US.
