CHARLOTTE, NC......We were contacted by a Beagle Rescue that desperately wanted to help a paralyzed four-year-old Beagle that had been signed over to the Clinic. Adorable Gypsy was brought to the Clinic, and the owners could not afford the Cat Scans to determine the cause of her paralysis, so they gave her up. The owner thought another beagle might have jumped on her while she was in a pen with a lot of other beagles they used for hunting. After several e-mails explaining how difficult it was to take care of an incontinent dog to the person that wanted to save her, I finally agreed to do the medical if the other Rescue would agree to find a foster and follow the strict protocol of her Surgeon. There was no guarantee she would walk again, but I would do all I could to give her that chance.
Gypsy was taken to Carolina Veterinary Specialists in Matthews, NC where our Neurologist, Dr. Bob Bergman was waiting to evaluate her. A Cat Scan and an MRI had to be done to determine exactly what was causing her paralysis. It appeared Gypsy had a herniated disk that was putting pressure on her spinal cord. We consulted for quite a while with Dr. Bergman and decided this was the only chance Gypsy would ever have of walking again. There was no guarantee she would get bowel or bladder control back, but over time her chances were good once she regained nerve function back in her legs.
Dr. Bergman went in and cleaned out the ruptured disk and found that her spinal cord still had significant blood flow to it. The ruptured disk had not damaged the cord in a way that caused it to lose blood flow and therefore die. Gypsy's chances of walking again are very good. It will be months before we will know how successful the surgery was. By doing nothing, eventually, her spinal cord would have been trapped and died in the area of the rupture. Sweet Gypsy now has the only chance she will ever have of regaining the use of her legs and normal bathroom functions.
If Gypsy does not regain the use of her rear legs, we will have a cart made specifically for her and her bladder and bowels will have to be expressed if that does not come back. Dr. Bergman is feeling positive because her pain sensation has increased significantly since the procedure. Sweet Gypsy is still in the hospital recovering from the procedure. She will have to remain here until she can be taken off her IV meds and put on oral medications.
Everyone at the hospital is in love with this adorable beagle. How could you not fall in love with her beautiful face? On top of that, she is a small beagle that looks much younger than her years. She looks more like a puppy than a full grown dog. We are hoping and praying for a great outcome for Gypsy. Whatever happens, we are going to make sure she gets whatever she will need to have a Life filled with Love and Joy.
Spinal Surgery is very expensive and not just because of the surgical procedure. Lots of very expensive scans and images have to be taken to determine the exact location of the injury. The Neurologist can decide way before a procedure if the animal will benefit from surgery or if it is a waste of money and unnecessary pain and suffering for the animal. Quality of Life is our top priority, always when it comes to saving an animal. We feel good about little Gypsy.
Please, DONATE, whatever you can so we can help more pups like Gypsy get their chance at walking. We don't turn our backs on animals in need, but we need your Help to keep doing this. We have bills coming in daily on lots of animals. Every Life matters, and we want to make sure they each get the best Medical Care possible. Thanks for caring.
