- R
On February 2nd, I woke up to my shih tzu Max on the floor unable to move his two back legs. His two back legs were completely stiff, as well as one of his front paws which was tucked under. I was rushed with different emotions and immediately knew Max needed care. I took him straight to the vet, where they did x-rays, gave him some pain pills and concluded that he may have had swelling in his spine and said it would all be fine in a few days. Instead of waiting it out, we took Max to another vet. They ran the same tests on him and had suspected a stroke or some kind of spine cancer. Not all vets have MRI machines so we ended up taking Max straight to a specialist for an MRI, ultrasound, and spinal tap hoping we'll have a clearer answer to Max’s condition. My family and I did so much research trying to figure out what happened to Max and many other dogs with Max’s condition was diagnosed with IVDD (Intervertebral disk disease), which is when a disk shatters on the spine making one completely unable to walk.
When the results came back from the MRI, surgery was not an option at all(no slipped disks found) and instead a lot of home care and physical therapy was needed to make Max strong enough to walk on his own. The specialists stated it was a rare unusual neurological dysfunction case known as FCE (Fibrocartilaginous Embolism) which is considered a spinal stroke. The stroke unfortunately occurred in his lower neck which has affected his ability to use his back legs and one of his front paws. The recovery time period is months and only reliable with physical therapy. The vet bills have been astronomical and sadly we don’t have any medical insurance and there is a lot yet to come with his daily rehabilitation needs. In addition to Max not being able to walk, he isn't able to release his bladder on his own. Me and my sister release Max at least 3-5 times a day.
Almost 3 months later, Max has been going through tons of physical therapy sessions which are not cheap at all. An average therapy session for Max’s condition can cost up to $300 per session. Max has done hydrotherapy, laser therapy for his spine and acupuncture sessions. I see little improvements each and every day. This need will go on for months. The awesome news is that with this care he can be back to his old tricks some day but it's an uphill climb and he has a long road ahead of him. The vets say he is not in pain, just a little uncomfortable sometimes which is understandable. The thought of putting him down never crossed my mind, Max is fully aware of his surroundings and eats and drinks weII. Max is a strong boy that can overcome this with time. He deserves the opportunity to thrive again and recover from this condition. I would really appreciate it if you could kindly donate anything you can to get the help Max needs to walk on all of his four paws again. Max is not only a dog, but my best friend.
With all the craziness going on, it's been tough to handle Max's situation. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Thank you for taking the time to read about Max's story.
(Every little bit counts!!)
Kayla + Max's Family
When the results came back from the MRI, surgery was not an option at all(no slipped disks found) and instead a lot of home care and physical therapy was needed to make Max strong enough to walk on his own. The specialists stated it was a rare unusual neurological dysfunction case known as FCE (Fibrocartilaginous Embolism) which is considered a spinal stroke. The stroke unfortunately occurred in his lower neck which has affected his ability to use his back legs and one of his front paws. The recovery time period is months and only reliable with physical therapy. The vet bills have been astronomical and sadly we don’t have any medical insurance and there is a lot yet to come with his daily rehabilitation needs. In addition to Max not being able to walk, he isn't able to release his bladder on his own. Me and my sister release Max at least 3-5 times a day.
Almost 3 months later, Max has been going through tons of physical therapy sessions which are not cheap at all. An average therapy session for Max’s condition can cost up to $300 per session. Max has done hydrotherapy, laser therapy for his spine and acupuncture sessions. I see little improvements each and every day. This need will go on for months. The awesome news is that with this care he can be back to his old tricks some day but it's an uphill climb and he has a long road ahead of him. The vets say he is not in pain, just a little uncomfortable sometimes which is understandable. The thought of putting him down never crossed my mind, Max is fully aware of his surroundings and eats and drinks weII. Max is a strong boy that can overcome this with time. He deserves the opportunity to thrive again and recover from this condition. I would really appreciate it if you could kindly donate anything you can to get the help Max needs to walk on all of his four paws again. Max is not only a dog, but my best friend.
With all the craziness going on, it's been tough to handle Max's situation. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Thank you for taking the time to read about Max's story.
(Every little bit counts!!)
Kayla + Max's Family