Tyson's Medical Fund

Tyson is a pure English Bulldog who was born October 10, 2014. We bought him from Petland when he was about 3 months old and fell in love with him instantly the moment he became a part of the Guerrero family. He has always been very loving, active, and loves too eat. On March 2nd, 2015, he woke up and did not seem himself. He did not want to eat, drink, play, bark, kiss, let alone sit down. He just wanted to stand up in the same spot and not move at all. We immediately suspected something, and took him to our local veterinarian and started getting some answers. She did a physical exam, and he was perfectly fine and then she proceeded to do an orthopedic exam (bone and skeleton). Once she began to touch his spine, we heard a loud cry from Tyson once she passed his shoulder. She knew instantly that there was definitely something wrong with his spine in the thoracic region. The veterinarian took him to get some X-rays and it was exactly what she had suspected; Tyson's thoracic region of his spine had a deformity. In order to confirm her thoughts, she sent the pictures to a radiologist. He agreed with what the vet had said and added that because this happened so suddenly, Tyson had to have been born with an abnormal spine. The vet prescribed anti-flammatory and pain medications for Tyson in hopes that in 48 hours, he would go back to normal. She said that if the next day we saw that he was worse, to take him to emergency, and if he was still the same, to just be patient. We were instructed to bring him back home and restrict him from any movement and cushion wherever it is he will be resting. We did just that, and prayed for the best. The next morning, Tyson was a bit better. He ate, drank, gave kisses, but now he was not not able to stand, let alone move his hind limbs. We thought it was because he had been in bed for a long time without any movement and just needed a few minutes to gain strength again.  However, when we'd call his name to go potty, he just army crawled with his arms and dragged his legs. We took him to the Emergency Animal Hospital right away to find out if this was normal, or something we should be worried about. The ER vet did another physical and orthopedic exam, and it was not what we wanted to hear. To quote what the vet wrote on the Discharge notes, she said "Tyson has damage to his spinal cord causing nerve damage to his back legs. As a result, he has lost some motor (ability to move his legs) function. We discussed that the most likely cause is a congenital malformation of his vertebrae causing compression of his spinal cord. Definitive diagnosis requires a CT scan +/- sampling of the fluid surrounding his spinal cord (CSF). Surgery may be the only option." We decided to return home with Tyson and discuss with the rest of the family what would be the best options financially and for Tyson. One idea that came up was to look at the contract we had signed for Tyson at the time we bought him at Petland to see if they would cover medical costs for congenital disorders. However, the contract states that "Should a veterinarian diagnose, within the first year of the puppy's life, a hereditary or congenital disorder that is currently interfering with this puppy's ability to lead a normal life; this Petland retailer will allow full credit of the original purchase price towards the purchase of another puppy of your choice." Our first thought was "What?! We can't do this, we want Tyson". That's why we are here now. Looking for help to save our dog ,and return his freedom to run, play, be independent.  Money is the only obstacle. The CT scan alone costs $3,000 to diagnose him and the surgery could run anywhere from $8,000 to $15,000 and can only be done at the University of Florida. Please help us! Whether it be a $1 or $2. Anything can help. I just pray that this touches your heart and you can help Tyson live a normal life once again.