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Help Give Cayman a Fighting Chance!

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Cayman is currently being hospitalized at a specialty clinic with a spinal injury.

She was admitted into the ER Thanksgiving evening, Thursday November 22, 2018, experiencing lower lumbar pain, partial paralysis and the inability to urinate or defecate on her own. She was immediately admitted into the hospital overnight.

During the night, she had around the clock nursing care, fluids and pain management until they could begin running extensive tests to figure out the cause of her paralysis Friday morning, November 23, 2018. They preformed blood tests, urinalysis, electrolyte panels, ultrasounds, X-rays and an MRI to determine that she had a herniated disk in her lower back that would require immediate surgery. As soon as they had the okay, she was transferred directly to the OR from her MRI.

From the beginning, the vets have said that this is a very unusual case because dogs don't typically lose the ability to urinate on their own without being completely paralyzed or showing other neurological signs. In some ways, this is good because although she went in not being able to move her tail, she was still walking. However, it makes her prognosis of the nerves regenerating and her being able to go to the bathroom on her on much worse.

During surgery, they said that her case got even more unusual as she did not just have a herniated disk with debris pushing on her spinal cord but that she also had blood clots as well. They removed all of the debris and clots that were pushing on her spine, and they said that the spinal cord was laying more flat along her spine afterwards.

While surgery went as well as could be expected, they said that her prognosis is still the same and that she may get a lot worse before she gets better (i.e. full paralysis).

She is currently being hospitalized for 2-3 more days with pain management.

Once Cayman is able to come home, she will require 8 weeks of recovery and extensive therapies including laser, acupuncture and physical therapy if she has any chance of the nerves healing and regaining the ability to wag her tail and go to the bathroom on her own.

Cayman is honestly the sweetest little girl. Everyone who meets her falls in love with her and comments on how happy is she is and how much she wags her tail. I just can't imagine her being incontinent and unable to wag her tail for the rest of her life. She is only 5 years old...

We are doing absolutely everything we can to give Cayman a fighting chance of beating this. Her medical costs have already risen to $10, 205.49. Her ER visit alone was $3,447.00 and the low end of her initial surgery estimate was $4,320.49. Unfortunately, this does not cover any complications, further hospitalization or therapy. The more therapies she can have, the better chance she has of recovering, so please consider donating to her fund and helping her get through this. I know that she will be forever grateful, and no donation is too small.
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Donations 

  • John Sproul
    • $50 
    • 4 yrs
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Organizer

Caraline Brockman
Organizer
Chicago, IL

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