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Kaidan's Recovery Fund

Summary:  Kaidan recently suffered a herniated disc in his back which compressed his spinal cord and rendered him paralyzed in less than 48 hours. His injury was the result of an unknown condition called degenerative disc disease, which his doctor explained is hereditary. When we found out he needed surgery we rushed him to a surgical clinic. His surgeon explained that there is only a 50/50 chance in these cases that his ability to walk would return, and recovery could take the better part of a year. After his initial myelogram his surgeon discovered that his spinal compression went wide and spread across multiple vertebrae which unfortunately for Kai brought his prognosis lower to a 10-20% chance to regain feeling, let alone walk again. We were going to do whatever it took to make sure our baby boy got the care he needed. When we decided to press on with the surgery the clinic required a sizeable deposit of $2,500. We pulled every string we could find to scrounge the money he needed. At discharge the final invoice nearly doubled the cost of the deposit. Early indications post-op are very encouraging, though he still cannot walk and his bladder requires manual expression. His continued care is crucial if his ability to walk in any capacity is to return. There is only so much we can do at home and continued visits to his vet are a must. Our asking goal of $5000 will be used to help control the repayment of our new debt and to make sure Kai continues to visit his verterinary family at South Paws of Mandeville, LA. Which includes his vital hyperbaric oxygen therapy (you can learn more about this at the link below). We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time, and for any donations made. Kaidan would not be with us were it not for the extreme generosity of others.

 Watch Kai undergo his hyperbaric treatment here.


A Note From Kai's Mom:

Firstly, I'd like to say thank you for taking the time to read this. The outpouring of love and encouragement from our family, friends, and even complete strangers who've heard our story has been overwhelmingly heartwarming. As many of you already know, Monday June 13th , 2016 our beloved pup (our furry son) Kaidan, experienced a medical emergency that would change the course of our family's life for the foreseeable future... But that's not where I'd like to start. Kaidan came into our family in March of 2012.


I (Kayla) had just left Louisiana, the only home I'd known in my 22 years, to be with my now husband Matt who was stationed in Washington while serving in the Air Force. I'd only been there a month when the homesickness and severe depression began to sink in. Because Matt was working nights and had to sleep for most of the day I'd spend the majority of my time alone. I've always struggled with anxiety/depression and combining that with the loneliness I was experiencing from my new situation quickly became too much to bear. I'd spend days at a time in bed crying, not having the will to do anything. This (understandably so) put an incredible strain on mine and Matt's relationship. Just when it was looking as though there was no light at the end of our tunnel in bounced this furry bundle of unconditional love and laughter, Kai.


I have no doubt that Kaidan has saved my life an infinite number of times throughout our four short years together and has strengthened and completed our family. Right after we became his parents, he fell terribly ill with a gastrointestinal condition. After months of vet visits, non-stop heartache, tears, prayers, and growing to love and care for this little creature more than I ever imagined possible he was finally correctly diagnosed and treated. Our life in the years to follow basically revolved around me going to unimaginable lengths to bubble wrap him from any perceived threat or illness. I definitely became and still am THAT crazy dog mom. If you run into me, expect me to pull out my phone and scroll through the 400+ pictures I've taken of him.


Currently Kai's stomach issue only flares up once or twice a month to the tune of loud stomach gurgling and eventual vomiting. After that it settles down and life returns to normal. Which brings me to June 13th, 2016. I awoke Monday morning to the sound of familiar stomach growls. I did what I could to make Kaidan comfortable before leaving (half an hour late) for work. While there I expressed my concern for his health to my coworkers and boss and I was allowed to leave early to check on him. Instead of coming home to the mess I was expecting to clean, I came home to a very sick pup. His stomach was still growling but now he was trembling from pain and very carefully sitting down. I rushed him to the vet where he was misdiagnosed with symptoms of IBS and sent home with medicine. I asked if we were to do x-rays but was told that would be the next step if he isn't feeling better in a few days. Throughout the night his pain worsened and despite essentially being told to “wait and see” I took him back the following day. This time he was diagnosed with a possible disc injury. He was given medicine for his pain and sent home for overnight observation with instruction to return in the morning for assessment. This part absolutely kills me. If only I'd known then what I now know I'd have never settled for this instruction. Everything I've read and every vet I've encountered since says that when it comes to a disc injury hours count in terms of lowering the risk of paralysis. Yet I was sent home to observe him overnight and lost 24 precious hours of time. By morning Kai could not walk at all and had lost all feeling below his waist. During his appointment another vet at the clinic that had never treated Kai prior did his assessment. This vet very bluntly told us that our options were limited and we should consider euthanization. Our entire world crashed to the floor in that moment.


My husband and I instantly began to sob. This had never been mentioned in any of the previous visits. We were completely unprepared for this gut-punch and were coldly told to consider ending the life of the very creature our universe had revolved around these past several years. Additionally, we were told that our only other option would be to immediately go to South Paws Veterinary Surgical Specialists and see what choices they could offer us. Shell shocked and heartbroken, we loaded ourselves into the car and began the drive to the clinic. I cannot accurately put into words how that car ride felt. It was as if every desire I'd ever had was instantly sucked out of me. Like everything that got me up in the morning had been violently ripped out of my life and yet somehow I was still functioning. I realize that to many, a dog is nothing more than a pet but this has never been the case for us. Kaidan has been the glue that's held us together throughout the years and our connection to him is greater and more filled with love than I ever thought possible. Though I will not compare my experience to others or claim to know the depth of pain others have faced, it was then that I realized how fortunate I'd been to have never known this feeling before. My mind kept racing back to the thought that less than a week ago my life was normal, now here we are.


Matt tightly held onto Kaidan as we both cried the entire drive there. This is where our story takes a turn. Upon carrying Kai into South Paws we were immediately embraced by caring vet techs and employees that did their best to comfort us while he was examined. After preforming a myelogram procedure it was determined that Kaidan has a congenital degenerative disc disease which lead to a herniated disc. Although this particular condition isn't uncommon, Kaidan's case was unique in that his rupture impacted a larger area than typically seen. Unfortunately this lowered his chances of regaining movement to less than the original 50/50 he was projected. However all of our experiences leading up to that point had lead us to believe that we'd be losing our boy that day, so even the slightest glimmer of hope had to be pursued to the fullest. While Dr. Kopecky (Kaidan's soon-to-be surgeon and our hero) gave Matt a run down of his diagnosis Matt asked if this meant we were going to be forced to put Kaidan down. The surgeon shot Matt a bewildered look and said, “Of course not! If he doesn't regain movement you'll just have to learn how to take care of a paralyzed dog.” And for the first time in three days we let out a sigh of relief. Someone was here to help us and now it was time to get to work.


In order to start Kai's surgery we needed to put down a deposit of 2,500 dollars right away which of course we did not have. I started making phone calls and Matt began attempting to take out credit. We were able to borrow enough money to start the procedure which ultimately ending up costing just under 4,500 dollars (including 500 dollars for the two trips to the other vet in the days before). So as you can imagine, we are now in debt up to our eyeballs but I'm very happy to say it was money well spent. Kaidan's surgery went well. After two days in recovery receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatments, he began to respond to deep tissue pain in his paws and tail. While he hadn't regained movement, his surgeon remained cautiously hopeful and this progress brought his prognosis back up to a 50/50 chance of recovering some mobility. We were able to bring him home Saturday, June 18th and start down the long road of bladder expressing and at-home healing.


Since then Kai has made small strides in the right direction. He is steadily regaining sensation in his lower half, is now able to urinate a small amount on his own, and even wag his tail. For at least 4 weeks after surgery he has to be contained to a 5x5 area. He's finally gotten back to his old feisty self and frequently let's us know he disapproves of this containment through grumbles and growls and pushing his fence with his nose. His surgery and treatment not only saved his life but gave us the opportunity to remain together as a family. None of this would have been possible without the fantastic care he received at South Paws. The purpose of creating this gofundme is in hopes that we can alleviate some of the debt we've incurred from his medical bills AND continue to give Kaidan the hyperbaric treatments that have been so crucial to his progress thus far. If all goes well he will also need underwater treadmill physical therapy once he regains use of his legs. While our hearts would do anything to ensure his best chance at recovery unfortunately we are not financially able to do so and he's at risk of no longer getting his hyperbaric treatments as we try to pay off our debt. Anything that's donated would be tremendously appreciated and put directly toward Kai's recovery. I can't explain how life-changing and truly inspiring it's been to see our loved ones come together and lift us up during this incredibly difficult time. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of the help, love, prayers, and well wishes you've given our family. We have made it this far thanks to you all.


With love and gratitude,

Matt, Kayla, and Kai.

Organizer

Matthew Day
Organizer
Pearl River, LA

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