Help Support Darla's Recovery Journey

Hi, my name is Sara. If you know me, you know my dog Darla is my world. She has been the center of my world for the last four years. Darla is truly my blessing and has helped me in ways I can't even describe. Darla is a long haired, English Cream Dachshund. She is playful, sweet, and so gentle. She often gets complements on how good her behavior is out in public and at doggie events. She has the softest demeanor and puppy dog eyes that would make your heart melt.

Unfortunately, our lives have took a turn for the worst. On January 16th I noticed Darla was not acting right. She had the shakes, labor breathing, teeth chattering, and was holding her head and neck low as if she was in pain. She would squeal when moving too fast or if her sister Penny would come anywhere near her. I knew right away something was not right. I immediately called her primary vet to see if I could get her looked at that day. Thankfully she was able to squeeze us in. By the end of the exam, we found that she had an impacted anal gland. We started her on antibiotics and expressed them every two weeks. We also had her on some inflammation and pain management medications to help her feel better. Darla seemed as if she was better, acting like her puppy self, full of spunky energy. Until February 15th, (Darla's fourth birthday). Darla was showing the same symptoms as before. She had a follow up appointment on February 18th. This time for blood work to see if something else was going on or any signs of infection. At this time her anal glands were fine, and they were no longer the issue. Her blood work came back great and there were no signs of infection. The very next day she was showing obvious signs of declining. Same signs as before and then started hiding and very was lethargic. I called her doctor again to see if we could do x-rays. On February 20th x-rays showed inflammation in her Cervical area on the Atlas and Axis bone (the bone that holds the skull in place). There were no fractures of brakes. With this there wasn't much we could do other than give her pain management and a week of cage rest. February 22nd rolls around and she is still not showing any signs of improvement it was the complete opposite. Darla stopped eating and drinking and started pacing. Late Saturday early Sunday morning she was losing all cognitive function. She was now not able to walk or stand and had a slightly tilted head. That same morning around 11am she had her first of five seizures all within about a 25–30 minute span. We immediately rushed her to an Emergency Vet. After evaluation from the doctor. Darla was diagnosed with Meningitis and was hospitalized overnight.

Meningitis has a number of potential causes, including both infectious and non-infectious. Non-infectious, caused by an immune-mediated inflammatory response (the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues).

Infectious meningitis can be caused by a number of infections, including bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoal infections. These infections may reach the central nervous system.

The local emergency vet called me that next morning and said Darla was declining fast and needed a specialist. Darla had canine microphthalmia and lost her vision and all cognitive function due to her brain swelling. They gave her medication for the swelling in her brain that would hold her over for the drive to the neurologist. The closest one was about an hour and forty-five minutes away. Thankfully I had someone come with so I was able to hold her in my arms warped up in blankets. That was the HARDEST AND LONGEST drive of my life!!!! We made it to the specialist, but Darla was so severe and unstable they weren't able to do their testing until her vitals were under control. She had extremely low blood pressure and became hypothermic. Some time goes by and I get the call that Darla was now stable and ready for her CT scan, spinal tap, and MRI, along with full blood testing, and Infectious Disease testing. Results come back for the scans, Darla had ton of side pressure, herniation, and multifocal disease in many spots of her brain. She was put on several medications. February 25th, I receive a call from the specialist, Darla is showing significant improvements and was responding to treatment very well. She had gained all cognitive function, vision back. She is now able to get up and walk on her own. THIS IS A MIRICAL!!!!

They allowed me visitation today and she looked and seemed soooooo much better. I got down on the floor as she walked in the room on her own with her tail waging, I knew she could hear and see me. She was just as happy to see me as I was to see her. I shed happy tears and gave her a bunch of loving and butt scratches. I was able to feed her and see her for about an hour or so. If Darla continues to respond well to treatment, she will be home in no time. With that being said, we are still waiting on results from the infectious disease testing to find out if its Non-infectious or infectious. Infectious would be best case scenario she would receive treatment and will be able to live life after a year normally. If its Non-infectious it would be a lifelong treatment that would eventually lead to her life ending.

If best case does end up happening, she will need follow up appointments every four weeks to do brain scans and blood work to insure she's healing properly.

Any donations would help with the vet bills and treatment moving forward for my baby Darla to get better! If you are unable to donate, prayers are free. Thank you!