CHARLOTTE, NC.....The day before New Year's Eve we were contacted by another Rescue that had been contacted about a nine week old Pure Breed Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The puppy had Hydrocephalus which is a condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within the brain. It basically takes up space where brain matter needs to be. Hydrocephalus is the same condition that Lamb chop had when we rescued her. The Breeder was looking for a good home for the puppy free of charge. She normally charges $1800. for a puppy that is healthy. My biggest fear for this little Angel was that he would go to a home and not be seen by a Neurologist and suffer. They need to be seen by a professional to make sure the condition is either improving or something needs to be done.
A lot of puppies that have the condition are not symptomatic, and eventually, the body absorbs the extra fluid, and they develop normally. Poor Forrest had lots of neurological abnormalities because of his condition and needed to have a shunt put in that would slowly drain the fluid off his brain area, or his quality of Life was going to be terrible.
We had Forrest taken to Carolina Vet. Specialists in Matthew, NC to see our favorite Neurologist, Dr. Bob Bergman. An MRI was done and also a Cat Scan to determine the severity of the Hydrocephalus. Dr. Bergman spoke to other Neurologist to get their opinions and also to a Neonatal Neurologist that had done surgery on tiny babies to get everyone's opinion
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Forrest's head is large from the extra fluid, and his eyes are almost crossed at times. In his kennel and out he will walk in circles most of the time. The difference between Lamb Chop and Forrest is that Lamb Chop could not walk at all and could not even hold her head up. Forrest can walk, even if it is in circles, and he has no problem holding his head up. He can also drink water and eat without any problems.
Dr. Bergman finally decided he had enough information to do Forrest's Surgery, we now just had to wait for the shunt to come in. We already had close to $7500. in Medical Bills for all of the tests that had to be done to get to this place. We went ahead and approved doing the Surgery to put the shunt in which is going to be around $5000. more. The Medical Care to give a puppy the best possible chance of having the condition reversed is extremely costly, but there is no other way. Forrest's condition was getting worse without the procedure, and there was no guarantee this would resolve the issue, but we had to try.
Our little Angel did well through the procedure. We now have to wait and see how much progress he makes and to keep him in the hospital where he can be closely monitored. The shunt could get clogged, and he could develop an infection which could be fatal. Lamb Chop's recovery seemed to take forever. She would take five steps forward and then take ten steps back. We have learned that patience goes a long way with these pups. Say a lot of prayers for this little Angel that he can recover from this. He is a long way from being out of danger.
Please, DONATE whatever you can for this adorable little puppy. He has his entire Life ahead of him, and this is his only chance at getting to live it.
