3/12/2025

We went for a normal check up for after his amputation and blood transfusion. All was pointing in the right direction and red. Blood cells are normal again. All vitals are normal. I had expressed concern that in the last week and a half that he seems to be sore or hurting and his upper shoulders and neck area, that when he moves, he cries a little. His primary vet had prescribed Rimadyl for him, which is an anti-inflammatory. , that when he moves, he cries a little. His primary vet had prescribed Rimadyl for him, which is an anti-inflammatory for a week to check back in again after a week And half to see how that pill was helping him. His normal vet that always sees him when he goes at her schedule changed so another that which is her colleague was there and had mentioned maybe to do x-rays or MRIs but I had mentioned MRIs would be better and referred me to blue pearl in Irvine. Blue Pearl had seen him and saw him right away when we got there, we went an hour after seeing his primary doctor. When we got there, the doctor that saw him did not ask for a history background story or anything immediately I said that he was emaciated and that he wasn’t doing good and he was paralyzed and everything without getting to know his story or looking at records from previous places and his primary vet. When she finally saw me, she had only given me the option of euthanasia or paying $9000 in cost to do a full blood panel MRI chest x-rays and everything. She told me it was either euthanasia or go all in and see where the problem is and where the infection is. When I had asked her if there was another choice, she had said no. So I couldn’t afford the cost of the MRIs and digging into looking at his chest and doing other test so I was opting for euthanasia since that was the cheapest thing and she wouldn’t let me leave with him either way and cornered me into only these two choices. I was getting ready to do euthanasia I was in the separate room with him for an hour and a half crying holding him and debating on whether or not I was making the right decision. While I was holding him and crying, he licked away my tears and he was trying to rip off the Band-Aid and his arm over the catheter was so I had made the decision that I was going to get a another opinion and I called another vet that was half the price of what blue Pearl was quoting. When I had made that decision, we had made an appointment with the other vet that is now going to see him, and when I mentioned it to blue Pearl, they had said that that was fair and they could understand that it was much cheaper and they could see why I would want another Opinion, and the person that said that was the doctor which saw him at blue Pearl, by the name of Dr. Eugenia Nieto, her assistant or helper, not sure who she was, but she had said it was fair and she could understand. I then decided that we were going to leave so they made me sign an AMA and that I was declining their work and taking him. They knew I was taking him home to get another opinion and I had even mentioned I had made an appointment with another neurologist and I had made the call was talking to them right in front of the girl that was hoping Dr. Nieto. Fast-forward to today [phone redacted] I get a message from my previous roommate that Nanaimo control came to her house and said that the vet had called and said that I was neglecting my animal and that I was refusing treatment to help Dexter even though I had told them I was getting a second opinion from another vet that was much cheaper. please help us head in the right direction and finding out finally what is going on with him to be able to get him healthy again. His weight is coming back and there’s still a light in his eyes when we came home he wanted to play with his toy. He has been playing with me and wanting to cuddle with me as well. Please help us fight. what is going on and have him have a chance.

Update 1/30/25:

It hasn’t been easy. He is now on special prescribed food that is not cheap but his transfusion did help. He is starting to feel better, very good motivated and is starting to gain his strength back. We are not out of the woods. He is going to have to go to a specialist for a culture on his leg, since it’s not healing properly. Long road ahead of us but hopefully no more blood transfusions needed.

Update 1/27/25:

He was released from the ER. They had to do more tests, give more fluids and shoot antibiotics directly into his blood stream. He wound is healing but not too well, so we have to go to specialist to see why and to make sure his red blood cells are continuing to go up after the transfusion. The specialist also has a nutritionist that we will hopefully see to be able to get a good plan together to get weight back on him. ❤️ last night we barely slept because he was in a lot of pain, so I had to get up a few times to give him meds.

Update 1/25/25:

He did have to go back into the ER yesterday for a blood transfusion, his red blood cells weren’t staying up and he was very weak. His leg from the amputation was also not healing properly. I just got a this morning, good thing is the transfusion did help! They want to keep him until Monday now to continue to give him liquids and shoot antibiotics directly into his blood stream as he is slowing progressing. ☹️

Update 1/22/25:

I still cant walk yet. In November and December of 2024 I started to take steps and feeling in my legs have been coming back. On Monday 1/20 my mommy came home to find me in a puddle of blood. I had chewed on my foot. My mom rushed me to the emergency vet and they said that I went through a vein and need surgery. So I needed to stay the night there. At 6 am, my mom got a call from them and said it was actually worse than they thought. I went through my bone, veins and all. They told my mom she barely got me there, that if I would’ve waited longer I could’ve died but we got lucky. So, since my foot was worse than they thought, they said that it can’t be saved and has to be amputated. I had to have my back left leg amputated. :(

My name is Dexter. I am a 9 year old GSP. Back in December 2023 I was very happy to see my mommy when she came home from work, that I jumped the couch and fell. After that, a few weeks go by and I started to limp, not want to go downstairs and would cry out of pain. My mommy took my to 3 different vets and no one could find anything, we even did xrays, they came back fine. Finally my primary dogtor, called my mommy and stated that she was going to refer me to a specialist to do MRI and hopefully see further what is going on. Same day when my mommy came to pick me up, they told her they found a mass in my spinal cord, they said it didn’t look like an tumor but and they wanted to do a spinal tap. My mommy agree so we can see what it is.

I walked into the dogtor, but had to be carried out with a sling. They told my mommy that i was just sore from the needle (that was back in February).

That same dogtor did not want to help my mommy or give my mommy options. They told my mommy that we could just give me pain meds until it is time. My mommy got upset and asked if there were no other options. The dogtor told her "oh, I did not know there were other options." My mommy got upset and started to yell at the dogtor saying how dare she say that without even discussing the options with me to figure out what she could do. (im glad my mommy yelled at her) Case Animal Hospital in Anaheim.

My mommy then took me to another vet and they sent us out to one of their referral partners VCA West Coast in Fountain Valley. They looked over all of my records and MRI. They told my mommy they think that best option would be radiation since it will help with inflammation and or if it is cancer, since surgery is not an option because it is inside my spinal cord and if they went in, it could 100% paralyze me. So Radiation began, 20 sessions.

So now my mommy had to go back to her 6am-2:30pm schedule. Luckily the vet told my mommy to drop me off in the mornings, they will watch me while she goes to work, they can do the treatment and she picks me up after. My mommy was waking up at 3:30am every morning so she can drive me 40 minutes to the vet before work and then be to work on time (which was 30 minutes away form my vet) my mommys days were very long. We would get home at 5pm after picking me up from the vet. We had to do that for 4-5 weeks.

My mommy has been so sad and all over with her emotions because it was traumatic for the both of us. She had vowed when she rescued me that she wouldn’t give up on me and that is what she’s doing. 

Anything would be appreciated to help my mommy, even if it’s a few dollars. She was supposed to pay a big expense but I became that big expense again. ❤️