Our sweet pup is slowly improving but still is not where we had wished she would be. The person that picked her up named her Knight after the road she was found on, but the Vet Techs looking after her in Neurology decided she needed a new name to turn her Life around, so they named her Phoebe. We love the new name and how much they get involved with the lives of each of our special pups. From this point forward, Knight will be called Phoebe.
Phoebe is still in ICU being monitored closely by the Neurology Team. Dr. Bergman feels the pressure in Phoebe's head has improved but is still not normal which is causing her to have horrible pain in her neck and head area. She is on heavy meds to stop the pain but not enough to knock her out. Because she is still not able to hold her body up frequently, she has to be rotated from one side to another to make sure she does not get any ulcers or sores on her body. We have seen slight improvement in her ability to get up, but feel she is anticipating pain and chooses not to try.
Since Phoebe is a puppy, she still has the curiosity of a puppy that wants to play. Every once in a while, a dog comes in that she wants to play with and without thinking about the pain, she will get up and wag her tail and shake all over to indicate how happy she is. It doesn't last very long, but we at least see that she can if she puts her mind to it. That has only started in the last 12 hours. We are hoping to see more of this behavior since a happy dog heals much faster than a depressed one.
Dr. Bergman is optimistic that Phoebe's situation will keep improving. It is just so sad to have her up and walking around after the initial procedure only to have her barely able to raise her head two days later. The good news is that she is going forward and not showing any decline. If the ICU Team sees any indication the pressure in her head is building again, Dr. Bergman will have to do surgery to put a shunt in that would regulate her spinal fluid. We are hopeful she will continue to improve, and that will not happen.
