Help Save my Best Friend
For the last 6 and a half years my life has been blessed with the best smile I have ever seen. There is not a single thing in this world that can cheer me up quite like the sound of Bandit's tail hitting everything, being covered with his kisses, or just looking at his giant smile. I can’t imagine not having that for so many more years to come. Bandit turns 7 in November, so he deserves so many more years.
The last couple of months Bandit has seemed sore on and off. If you've had the pleasure of meeting Bandit, you'd know he's a bit insane. The dog is full of life. Every time he was sore it seemed to be after playing hard, after long road trips, or after just getting crazy. All things that anyone would be sore from so I didn't think much of it. Over time the soreness has increasingly grown, sometimes he didn't even want to come to cuddle with me on the couch....which is unheard of. July 5th was when it got really bad. I took him to the vet as soon as I could. It was about a month of the process of various tests, testing various medications, and X-rays with absolutely no answer as the pain grew. It was recommended that I took him to a specialist hospital to see a neuro and ortho vet. He could no longer really walk on his own, was in constant pain, not eating/drinking, and just wasn't Bandit anymore.
I brought him into VCA South Shore in Weymouth that day. After about 36 hours and an MRI. We finally had answers. Specialists were certain it was terminal bone cancer but thankfully it wasn't. Bandit is suffering from Discospondylitis. In simple terms, this is a bacterial infection of his spine, vertebrae, discs, and nerves. This was great news because in a majority of dogs you start them on two antibiotics and they are brand new dogs in 24-48 hours. Unfortunately, over time we have learned Bandit is not one of those dogs. He has yet to really respond to any medication. He has an IV hook-up to Fentanyl, Codeine, and some Morphine. He is also getting Gabapentin, and Rimady orally. He also receives 3 oral antibiotics right now. He has a Catheter hooked up because he won't get up to go to the bathroom. He has lost an immense amount of weight as we cant get him to eat. They are really hesitant to remove them all due to pain, but feel they need to in order to get some necessary food down. We are a week into his stay at the ICU with little progress and a constant search for more answers.
This has been a long road and it will be nothing short of a long recovery. We still don't know exactly how to fight this. We are hoping the cultures keep growing bacteria and give us more information. If that is the case, we are going to most likely be able to avoid very invasive surgery. He has a lot of weight to put on. We will also be looking at X-rays every 6-8 weeks and at least a year of treatment.
All of this aside the doctors are more hopeful than ever that he will beat this and I am doing the right thing by fighting for him. I've been fortunate to visit him multiple times, and every day he seems just a tiny bit better. He recognizes me more and is happier to see me every time. To say this dog has a heart of gold is an understatement. He is a fighter and he will be okay given time. I mean Bandit climbed a 4000-foot mountain during the time frame he was battling this, so he can do anything.
I know gofundme's aren't some people's thing and that's okay. If there is anything at all you are able to and willing to help me with it would mean the world to me. This has been such a long journey and it's not over yet, anything would help. If Bandit has a chance, he deserves it. His love has saved me and he deserves nothing more than that returned. He deserves double the years to live the happiest life.
Thank you so much for the support <3