If you’re reading this, thank you for being here.

Our 3-year-old Australian Shepherd, Goose, unfortunately had a sudden loss of mobility with his hind legs on Friday night, unknown cause. Along with that, he had a loss of appetite, was unable to urinate, and relieve himself. He had to be brought to the emergency vet where he stayed overnight to get some diagnostic exams.

Based on his symptoms, presentation, and X-rays, his results determined he has either: FCE (Fibrocartilaginous Embolism) “spinal stroke” or IVDD (Intervertebral Disc Disease) “bulging or ruptured disc”.

The last two days have weighed heavy on us. We’ve had to carry him from place to place, assist with feeding, and manually express his bladder to urinate.

After seeing an animal chiropractor today, we are optimistic that Goose can ultimately regain control of his own bowels, have sensation and movement with consistent rehab/PT, and a lot of care and love at home.

It will be a costly process in the next few weeks or months with chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, contrast therapy, etc. But we want to give him a fighting chance!

Goose has been in our lives for only 3 years and I can’t bear to think of the alternative. We love him so much, especially my daughter Hallee who is his best friend. We want him in our lives for as long as possible and provide him with all the help and tools to ultimately get him back to his happy, healthy, and playful self. Even if it’s not 100% guaranteed, we want to try.

We are so grateful for any help we can receive from our friends, family, and anyone that has met or known Goose. He is the most loving dog and we want to see him thrive and live his best long life.

Thank you.

- Hannah, Sal & Hallee