NEWBERRY, SC....Sweet Sophia is a two-three-year-old Pitbull Lab Mix that was found in a ditch on the side of the road on Vincent Street in Newberry, SC. A Good-Samaritan thought she saw a dog that was moving and went back to check on her. There she found sweet Sophia have a massive seizure. She took her to the vet where they gave her valium and phenobarbital. We were contacted when the medication was not controlling her seizures, and her poor legs were constantly paddling. The constant paddling was causing her feet to bleed and her legs to bruise.
We agreed to give her the best possible chance and had her taken to our wonderful Neurologist in Matthews, NC, Dr. Bob Bergman. Sweet Sophia was put in a medically-induced coma for several days to allow the inflammation in her brain to go down. Once the Specialists had her comfortable, an MRI was done to determine what had happened to this wonderful dog. The MRI showed that Sophia has a malformed brain. We do not know if the malformation was something she has had for a long time or if she was hit by a car. It is kind of like the chicken or the egg scenario. We may never know which came first. What we have found out is that the Owner was contacted, and he said she had never had any seizures and was a good dog that had ten puppies seven months ago. He said he and his Family were on really hard times, and they could not take care of her which is why she is so thin. I am always surprised when people say that because they are usually the ones with a nice car or truck sitting in the driveway.
Our sweet girl is slowly improving on her meds and is getting back her ability to walk. She still needs help getting around, but that will take time. As you can tell from the pictures, she was emaciated when she was rescued. She is now able to eat, but it has to be controlled feedings to make sure she does not develop Re-Feeding Syndrome. Sophia will have to remain in the hospital until we have come up with a dosage that will control her seizures. If she kept having the long seizures, she would eventually become brain dead, and there would be nothing we could do to reverse it. The best news of all is that she was picked up by someone that cared enough to find out if she was alive or dead.
Sophia now has Epilepsy and will always have it. We may never know what caused it, but she now has a chance at living a great Life. Please, Donate toward her medical bills so we can get her Epilepsy under control and get her into a loving home. She is a sweet girl that loves everyone. She wasn't special to the Family that had her, but she is mighty special to us. Thanks for caring.
