Help Kasper Walk Again

TL; DR (aka, the short version): A rabbit zigged, Kasper zagged, and boom—down he crashed on his lower back. Because he was not a candidate for anesthesia at the time, we did every conservative therapy available to manage his injury. We never expected an MRI years later to reveal a ruptured disk that was now compressing 90-95% of his spinal cord. Immediate spine surgery on November 17, 2021, was his only chance at ever walking again—and his neurosurgeon believes he will: He's already shown remarkable progress, according to his doctors at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital.

 

This giant white shepherd is pure joy; he has a lust for life and an innate desire to thrive, no matter what the universe throws at him. He’s already defied the odds by surviving abandonment, parasite infestation, Lyme disease, a dog attack, myasthenia gravis, megaesophagus, aspiration pneumonia, Celiac disease, and IBD. We know he can overcome this, too.

 

Kasper's MRI, hemilaminectomy (spine surgery), hospitalization, and medications totaled over $10,000—and this doesn’t count the cost of the rehab that lies ahead or the medical care he’s had in the past. We're trying to recover as much of these costs as possible, because treatment does not end here and maintenance therapy will be lifelong. No donation is too small—we’ll be forever grateful for any amount that will help us give this deserving boy his mobility back. Thank you so much.

Follow Kasper's healing journey on Instagram: @kasperthewhitegsd

 

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Kasper's story (aka, the long version):

 

Kasper was abandoned by the only family he ever knew. When we adopted him in 2017 when he was five years old, we made a commitment to him. We love him to the moon, and we will never abandon him. But we had no idea that a series of scary and unexpected health issues would befall him almost immediately following adoption, and that his medical bills would become constant and staggering.

 

Before he was ours, Kasper was surrendered to a rescue with a flea, tick, and ear mite infestation. He had a UTI and was Lyme positive. And we found out shortly after getting him home that he had whipworms, too.

 

Just a month later, Kas was attacked by a dog while playing with his tennis ball in a park. He needed emergency surgery to repair a torn eyelid and puncture wounds. The owner of the “attack dog” refused to pay for Kasper's injuries. 

 

A few months later, Kasper’s body seemed to start shutting down. He was losing weight, having trouble urinating, regurgitating food, coughing all night, gagging on water, and stumbling on walks. Eventually, he lost the ability to use his hind legs.

 

After myriad tests revealed nothing, Kas was admitted to the hospital, put on seven different IV drugs, and diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia, a severe B12 deficiency, and a serious and rare autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis (MG), which causes extreme weakness in the hind legs as well as megaesophagus. When he was discharged two weeks later, he’d lost nearly 30 pounds, and he required numerous medications, a special feeding routine, and around-the-clock care for the next nine months until the disease went into remission.

 

When that happened, we thought we were finally in the clear. But then in 2019, routine testing for MG showed the disease was back. We caught it fast, though—before any symptoms surfaced—and immediately began treatment. But that’s when the freak accident occurred: Kasper spotted a rabbit in the yard and took off. The rabbit made a sharp turn, Kasper tried to do the same, and down he went on his lower back.

 

Because of the active MG and megaesophagus, Kas was not a good candidate for the anesthesia required to have an MRI or surgery, if necessary, on his spine. We had consults with an orthopedic surgeon and a neurologist, and opted for a month of strict crate rest, anti-inflammatory meds, and conservative therapies for the next two years, including cold laser, acupuncture, chiropractic, water therapy, and eventually (when the MG was once again in remission and he was cleared for brief anesthesia) epidural steroid injections.

 

Kas was managing with his injury very well; if you saw him run, you'd never know anything had happened. But he was not doing so well with his gut. Remember that B12 deficiency? It led to the development of Celiac disease and IBD. It took years to sort through all of these complex issues and get his symptoms—intermittent diarrhea, vomiting, and gas trapped in his dilated esophagus—under control. The last thing we were expecting was for him to suddenly lose the ability to walk on his good hind leg.

 

On November 15, 2021, we consulted with another neurologist. He had an MRI done the next day, which revealed a ruptured disk in his lumbar vertebrae that was now compressing the majority of his spinal cord. His only chance at walking normally again was to have a hemilaminectomy—a spine surgery that involves removing part of a vertebral bone to relieve excess pressure on the spinal nerves in the lower back. 

 

So here we are. Kas has shown great progress in just a few days post-op, according to his surgeons, but he will need to be on strict crate rest for four to six weeks. During that time, we’ll need to do passive range of motion (PROM) exercises with him, support him with a sling outside for bathroom breaks, and get him laser therapy to aid in healing. If things go well, he'll return to water therapy to build back muscle. He may never move as smoothly as he did before the accident, but the goal is to get him pain-free and mobile enough to walk again completely on his own. Anything more than that will be an even greater blessing! Thank you so much for reading, and, if you're able, for donating any amount at all to help us get this boy smiling again from giant ear to giant ear.