For those that do not know, Erin and I adopted Olive in June of 2021. She has been the absolute light of our lives these past two years. She is our very best friend. We would do anything to see her happy and healthy again, even if that means writing an incredibly hard post like this one.

In March of this year, we were under the impression that Olive sustained an injury to her back right leg after going on a park outing with us. We immediately seeked veterinarian care and have followed strict bedrest orders, medication plans, and home remedies like ice/heat/massage ever since the initial injury. When it seemed like these treatment plans were not helping her get better, we decided to return to the vet on multiple occasions to receive little to no answers as to what was really wrong. We were told it was most likely a soft tissue injury.

After over a month of being told to “just give it more time”, we decided it was long overdue that we got a second opinion. We brought her to another veterinary hospital, where we were so eager and excited to finally get x-rays. We hoped this would provide clarity. When we visited this vet, Olive was noticeably limping but was still able to walk and be her normal excited self. We were told that nothing showed on the imaging, and that again it was most likely soft tissue. We were referred to Cornell University Hospital for Animals to obtain MRI’s and CT scans. We were also told that she should be put in pet rehabilitation, where they can do treatments like laser therapy, acupuncture, and water therapy. The timeline of recovery, if any without surgery, could be 6-8 months. Because an MRI for a larger dog can be up to $7,000, when we left this vet we were comfortable trying therapy to see what progress Olive would make before taking on a cost like that. We had no idea that just a few days later we would be faced with the decision to obtain this imaging and surgery immediately or euthanasia.

When we took Olive home from the vet that day, she very suddenly couldn’t walk. We expected it to be due to the sedatives she was given, and were told that it would wear off soon. The next day her limp was noticeably worse. The next day after that, she showed extreme discomfort and struggled to walk at all. Now, a few days later, she cannot walk and there is complete paralysis in her back right leg behind as it drags behind her as she attempts to move. Her left leg is now not able to hold up her body weight on its own, meaning we physically must hold her hind legs as she moves her front. Due to the extreme and sudden regression, Olive now cannot use the bathroom as she normally would and refuses to on most occasions. She has peed herself, on us, and on the floor. She goes at least two days at a time without pooping, pooped herself, and has more recently showed no interest in her food. No dog deserves to live like this for 6-8 months with the mere hope that there is improvement, especially not our little girl who has done nothing to deserve the immense pain and discomfort she is in.

The amount of guilt and worry we feel is unbearable. There have been so many moments where I almost wish a more financially stable family took her in, just so she could live comfortably and could have gotten the care she needed and deserved sooner.

As of today, we demanded another visit with the vet who gave x-rays so we can figure out what went so wrong between then and now. We were finally given some clarity, she likely has a degenerative disc disease that has cut off the connection between her spinal cord and legs. This can be extremely progressive, as we have seen firsthand in the last week. Our veterinarian has contacted Cornell in an emergency trying to get us in immediately to set up but we unfortunately do not have the means to do that on our own at this point. We have made no hesitation stretching our financial means at any point in this process until now, where we feel like there is not another choice.

Between consistent medications, recurring vet visits, physical therapy, x-ray imaging, the inevitable MRI, mobility devices, and possible surgery, financially, we are not sure how much longer we can sustain Olive’s current and future care on our own. We are pleading with other dog parents, family members, and friends to see our love for our girl and help us help her. She loves you all so much more than you know, her excitement to see and be with any one of you never goes unnoticed. Help us make that excitement possible again. We cannot imagine a life without Olive, and we also cannot bare to see her in this pain any longer. We are so appreciative of our support system in helping us through these times, the advice and kind words mean more to us than anyone knows. Olive deserves a long, healthy, life where she can chase balls, play with her dog friends, see her favorite people, and be a normal 2 year old puppy.