Harry’s Surgery Recovery
Donation protected
Hi everyone. My name is Lauren and this is Harry, my 6 year old Shih Tzu. He is a dog who’s full of energy and life. A dog who loves walking on the beach, going for hikes, cuddles, and playing with his favorite toy llama.Recently, Harry has taken a sudden turn for the worse. He began to develop pain in his back left leg and lower back. After taking him to the emergency vet, his bloodwork and test results came back as normal and he was treated for ligament pain and potential overextension.
Over the course of 1 day, his condition rapidly changed where he no longer was able to utilize both of his back legs and was whimpering in excruciating pain. He then struggled and became unable to go to the bathroom on his own as well as eat and drink.
He was rushed to the emergency veterinarian again where they told me his condition is severe and bordering paralysis of his hind legs. As a result, they would need to take him into emergency hospitalization for an MRI and surgery.
Unfortunately, the MRI showed that his condition is severely life threatening, resulting in 2 large herniated discs that are compressing on his spinal cord. Although a surgery could be successful, there’s a 1/2 or 50/50 chance of Harry developing Myelmalacia - a disease that will cut off all blood flow to his spinal cord resulting in full paralysis, respiratory issues, and unfortunately result in euthanization.
Nothing could have prepared me for this as it came as an absolute shock that rapidly progressed over the last few days. He has been a healthy and energetic dog, and suddenly he has lost his light.
In order to give Harry the best possible chances of living his life again, he will be proceeding with the surgery. If he develops this disease, it would be rapidly evident in his recovery. If he does a full recovery, he still will have chronic spinal issues, but be able to live most of his life the same again.
We are all hoping for the absolute best solution for Harry and that he will recover with grace and strength. Harry still has so much life to live and giving him another chance at it is what my end goal is.
I never thought I would be having to write this or be in this position, but anything you contribute speaks volumes and helps immensley. Thank you for taking the time to read this and helping support my Harry. ❤️
Organizer
Lauren Satmary
Organizer
Little Silver, NJ