Help Violet Walk Again

When we adopted Violet from the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter my wife and I were not looking for a big dog. However, when we came across Violet we knew she was the one. Sweet, calm, and slightly oafish, she has been an incredible addition to our family.

Two weeks ago, my wife came home from work to find Violet scared, lethargic and suddenly paralyzed though she was her normal self just that morning. So with the help of a neighbor, she was able to get our 105 lbs girl into the car and off to the vet to find out what was wrong. Unfortunately, our vet was unable to find anything and had us move her to a 24h ER/care facility so she could be examined her further. The next morning it was determined that she had some sort of neuro/muscular disorder, but they needed to run a battery of tests in order to determine why Violet was still unable to move. Over the course of a week and a half of full-time care at the vet, Violet showed small signs of improvement (reflexes beginning to return), but still no diagnosis. Their best guess as of today is polyradiculoneuropathy which is an autoimmune disorder. Given that she has made steady improvement, they expect Violet to make a full recovery. 

This is where we need your help. Violet will require extensive physical therapy in order to get her up and running again. And because she is a big dog, they expect that it will take some. Additionally, we will need full-time care given that my wife and I work and can't be home to attend to her needs (she has a catheter and she will need to be turned every 6 hours in order to prevent bed sores). Her PT evaluation is scheduled for next Saturday (9/15) and we will hope to have a better idea of the duration and expense of her care by then. In the meantime, we are providing her with passive range of motion, massage to improve circulation and to prevent accumulation edema, as well as stimulating her paws to help with proprioception as well as lots of hugs and kisses. 

Violet means the world to myself and my family. She has been a steadfast companion and her calm demeanor and love of belly rubs have made her a friend to all. It should go without saying that my family and I would be so grateful for any help towards her care that we receive. We've managed to get her this far and we hope to see her through to a full and complete recovery.

Thank you,
The Velthoens