Let me just start out by saying it was totally freezing out (20 degrees with strong winds) and as usual I was under dressed (no hat, no gloves, not enough layers). But I needed to get Cassi out for some exercise off lead today, regardless of the weather. And the conservation land in my town is the perfect spot.Cassi, who has always been a total ball of energy, full of life dog, is going through the hard work of recovering from an unexplained spinal infection that began in September. It started with excessive paw licking, progressed to total lameness of one paw, and ultimately resulted in an inability to walk more than a few steps without staggering. Rock bottom was when she fell down the stairs one morning after waking up.
After an MRI, spinal tap and numerous tests with specialists - I can't even say out loud how much we spent on her - the conclusion is that she has/had some type of spinal cord disease. Why she got it has never been determined, but I have a sinking feeling that she may have contracted it from something in the woods during our annual summer camping trip this past August. That would be very sad indeed since it's her absolute favorite place on earth.
Fortunately, she has made major improvements in the last three months and is steadily improving. She's now back to some of her usual antics - barking at people, sniffing out squirrels, trotting through the woods. But she doesn't have the get up and go she used to. And she's not quite the "sassy Cassi" that we've known and loved for the past six years.
The doctor is not sure if she will ever fully recover but we're hoping and praying that with a steady diet of love, exercise and medicine, we'll get our crazy dog back in all her glory at some point very soon.
2 comments:
Hope Cassi makes it all the way back. She looks good here and very similar to our almost 7-year-old (Jan. birthday) Jake.
Such a cute little muffin. Oh do I sympathize with the staggering costs.
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