Donation protected
11/7 MRI Update: Thanks to your generosity, we have our answer... "abnormal congenital spinal stenosis." What that means is that as Chaps is growing, his bones are squishing his spinal cord causing his paralysis. The good news is that it is fixable with surgery! While it is a rare condition, our amazing neurologist is experienced with this delicate surgery and gives Chaps a 90% chance of success with a month of crate rest and a few more sessions of physical therapy post-surgery to build some muscle. The more challenging news is the cost of $6,000 for the surgery. That's a lot but we feel like it’s worth it to give Chaps the normal future he deserves. We sure hope his fans agree. Thank you for your caring and support!
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At 4 months old and paralyzed in his hind legs, Chaps found himself in the local shelter right before a hurricane was due to hit. I couldn't say no to taking this happy little goofball in to foster.
With the support of Stacy at Milo’s Dog Rescue and co-foster-mom Angie, the guidance of Southeast Veterinary Neurology and Healing Paws Center, and the generosity of many of you, Chaps made remarkable progress. In 6 weeks, he went from dragging himself, to using a wheelchair, to walking on his own for short periods of time! Even his tail was able to wag to show this boy's pure joy.
Then, two weeks ago, Chaps had a major setback! We don’t know whether it was a re-injury, something congenital impacted by growing, an auto-immune disease in his spinal cord, or a rare side effect of vaccination, but Chaps is completely back to where he started.
We’ve tried additional, therapy, crate rest, and pain meds but nothing is helping. So, while we had tried to avoid it because of cost, we now must do further diagnostics to get at the root of Chaps’ issue. His neurologist is recommending an MRI and spinal tap. The cost, with a rescue discount, is about $3,350 which includes the scan, anesthesia and monitoring (which is crucial in neurological cases). He also needs some bloodwork done prior to these tests.
If Chaps were older, we would not consider this expense and the risk of anesthesia. But Chaps is a puppy, with his whole life ahead of him. We need answers not only to determine if he will be able to walk but to other questions like… can he be vaccinated, can he be neutered, and what is his general prognosis?
I'm asking for your help, please, to get the tests necessary to tell us what the future holds for Chaps. Without them, we are at an impasse with Chaps' care. And the sooner we know, the better his chances are of walking again. Every dollar helps. THANK YOU FOR CARING!
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At 4 months old and paralyzed in his hind legs, Chaps found himself in the local shelter right before a hurricane was due to hit. I couldn't say no to taking this happy little goofball in to foster.
With the support of Stacy at Milo’s Dog Rescue and co-foster-mom Angie, the guidance of Southeast Veterinary Neurology and Healing Paws Center, and the generosity of many of you, Chaps made remarkable progress. In 6 weeks, he went from dragging himself, to using a wheelchair, to walking on his own for short periods of time! Even his tail was able to wag to show this boy's pure joy.
Then, two weeks ago, Chaps had a major setback! We don’t know whether it was a re-injury, something congenital impacted by growing, an auto-immune disease in his spinal cord, or a rare side effect of vaccination, but Chaps is completely back to where he started.
We’ve tried additional, therapy, crate rest, and pain meds but nothing is helping. So, while we had tried to avoid it because of cost, we now must do further diagnostics to get at the root of Chaps’ issue. His neurologist is recommending an MRI and spinal tap. The cost, with a rescue discount, is about $3,350 which includes the scan, anesthesia and monitoring (which is crucial in neurological cases). He also needs some bloodwork done prior to these tests.
If Chaps were older, we would not consider this expense and the risk of anesthesia. But Chaps is a puppy, with his whole life ahead of him. We need answers not only to determine if he will be able to walk but to other questions like… can he be vaccinated, can he be neutered, and what is his general prognosis?
I'm asking for your help, please, to get the tests necessary to tell us what the future holds for Chaps. Without them, we are at an impasse with Chaps' care. And the sooner we know, the better his chances are of walking again. Every dollar helps. THANK YOU FOR CARING!
Organizer
Wendy Kaplan
Organizer
Fort Lauderdale, FL