After the Holiday

(my little Illini, Jan. 2010)

Busy day today! For me, at least, if not for Claire....I contacted Dr Gorgi again regarding direct donations. They've spoken to the hospital manager, who will seek the approval of the Regional Manager when they meet this coming Friday. Such a long process, but I just need to keep following up.

Tried again throughout the day to get the Paypal verification done--still waiting for the small deposits to be placed into my account that I can then report to Paypal to be verified. The holiday may have slowed it down this time. If I don't see anything tomorrow, I can again contact Paypal.

I also placed wanted listings on Freecycle.org for a pet stroller so I can continue to take Claire on our walks, and for empty jars/cans that I can make into banks to be placed at local businesses.

I contacted The Brittany Foundation over the weekend. Spoke with their head person today, and they will sponsor our grant application to the LA Breakfast Club!

Disappointingly, Claire and I received an email denial letter from The Mosby Foundation. We were turned down due to a lack of resources within the foundation.

I visited the local pet store I went to on Friday, when the manager wasn't in. Spoke to her personally today, and she will consider whether or not to allow me to place a donation jar for Claire near their register. I have to check back with her later in the week.

And, I finished off my 2010 taxes, so I can apply to other foundations in earnest starting tomorrow. I know this week will be the most intense in terms of fundraising for Claire. I'm trying hard not to pin all my hopes on this effort, but I think it's our best shot.

The weather is waning--it was only 90 degrees today! I'm sure it felt like more in the apartment, but I'm still providing pedialyte along with water, running the ceiling fan in the bedroom, and watering the yard a bit to keep things moist. I'd like to limit my hours away even further so I can leave both the doors open for ventilation, but certain things need to be done right now. And, truthfully, we've weathered even hotter days here in the past, though with Claire on bedrest, I'm unable to steal the dogs away into air conditioning elsewhere. One summer I frequented a Barnes and Noble cafe with the dogs in their "L.A." carrier, which looked like a trendy purse.

Mosby Foundation Denial Letter

Received July 5, 2011 ~

Hello Ellen,

We are so sorry to hear about Claire who is such an adorable dog! Unfortunately at this time we are unable to offer any assistance due to a lack of resources. We all truly hope you raise the needed funds quickly because we know what kind of pain she must be in.

Again, we are truly truly sorry.

Sincerely,

The Mosby Foundation

Dodgerslist ~ IVDD Support & Education

After the second BBQ of the weekend, I had a chance last evening to do some quiet research on Claire's physical diagnosis. I've been so overwhelmed by the financial need that I've focused on getting the word out about that for the last week and a half. It was time to educate myself.

I stumbled upon the group Dodgerslist about a minute before someone posted it to Claire's facebook page. They seem to be the only organization out there offering support & education on intervertebral disc disease. The information is staggering, and it's scary to read worst-case scenarios of paralysis and loss of feeling. But I know they'll be a great source of support if/when we do go through the process of surgery for Claire.

Claire seems to be lucky in that she can still walk and feel even though she's in a great deal of pain. That said, I am seeing why we need to do something for Claire now, before she loses all chance of nerve regeneration. In that sense Dodgerslist reinforced the neurologist's recommendation that surgery is necessary for Claire.

Intervertebral Disc Disease

Here's an article that explains Claire's exact diagnosis, Intervertebral Disc Disease.

Reprinted from
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/cliented/ivd.aspx
Written by the College of Vetrinary Medicine at Washington State University

What are Intervertebral Disks?

The intervertebral disks sit between the vertebrae in the spine. They act like shock-absorbers to help dissipate the forces placed on the spine. They have two portions, an outside fibrous covering ( the annulus fibrosis) and an inside, more gelatinous portion, the nucleus pulposis. In this way they kind of resemble a jelly donut. The outside of the donut is the annulus, and the jelly on the inside is like the nucleus pulposis

When the intervertebral disks become damaged, this is referred to as intervertebral disk disease ("Disk disease", "Slipped disk"). As disks age, they lose water content, and become less able to withstand compression. They become less able to withstand forces placed upon them. If too much force is placed on them, they can be squeezed and expand or rupture. This rupture usually occurs in an upward direction, and the disk extrudes into the spinal canal where the spinal cord is. Signs develop either because of the force of the disk material hitting the cord, or due to the disk material compressing the spinal cord.

Intervertebral disk disease can occur in any area of the spinal cord. Dachshunds appear predisposed, as their disks age or degenerate quicker than most dogs. Young to middle-aged dogs are most commonly affected. Dogs less than 1 year of age rarely have intervertebral disc disease. Geriatric dogs are occasionally affected. Clinical signs of disk disease are rare in cats.

Signs of a disk problem range from being painful to being unable to move. The more spinal cord damage, the worse the clinical signs. Animals with the worse spinal cord damage from disk disease lose the ability to move and to feel (conscious sensation) their limbs. To know if an animal can consciously feel, we have to pinch the toes and see if the animal vocalizes or tries to bite us. While this test may seem harsh, it is very important. If an animal has lost the ability to feel in the legs, its chance of walking again is about 50%. If an animal can still feel in the legs, even if they can't move, there is a 75% chance or greater that the animal can walk again if surgery is performed.

The diagnosis of disk disease is based on clinical signs initially. To prove that a disk is pressing on the spinal cord, a special X-ray study known as a myelogram is often necessary. To perform a myelogram, first a spinal tap is done. Next, a dye or contrast agent is injected around the spinal cord to outline it. This usually shows where the spinal cord is damaged, and helps the surgeon to know exactly where the surgery should be performed. For both the myelogram and the spinal tap the animal needs to be very still, therefore anesthesia is necessary to perform these tests.

CT or MRI are other techniques that can be used to see the ruptured disk.

General guidelines have been established for therapy depending upon severity of clinical signs. Mildly affected animals (animals with pain alone or mild weakness but able to walk) may be managed with cage confinement for at least two weeks. Strict confinement is very important to allow for healing of a partially damaged disk. If after 2 weeks signs are not improved, diagnosis and surgery should be considered. If the animal worsens during this time, surgery should be considered sooner.

If improvement is noted, continuation of cage confinement is indicated for up to one to two weeks after the animal is clinically normal.

More severely affected animals (those who are unable to stand and walk) are considered for surgery. The surgery is performed to remove extruded disk material from around the spinal cord, relieving the compression and giving the spinal cord the best chance at healing.

This information was made possible by funds from the Neurology Endowment at Washington State University.

Ben the Dog's Spinal Injury

Found a new blog with one doggy's story of Inter Vertebral Disc Disease -- meet Ben the Dog. He lives in the UK and his mommy shares his story here.

Here are some exercises Ben uses in his recovery. Each dog is different, but I want to be able to refer to this page.

Contact Sheet

Here's a contact sheet that might be helpful to others, so I thought I'd post. I've been doing so much research I've lost track of the source. I'm putting useful links onto this blog's sidebar, but I'm skipping over ones that deal specifically with cancer, or certain states for which Claire is not eligible, so I thought I'd re-post the document in its entirety. Click on the image to enlarge it to a readable size.

Hula Hoops, The Mosby Foundation, and IMOM

(Chance & Claire chilling during hula hoop class, Aug. 2010)

I have a long-standing hula hoop class I like to attend on Sunday mornings. I bring the dogs with, and keep them nearby on a tie-down. This is kind of a silly picture, but you can see that the hoop doesn't scare the pups, and in fact they like to hang out in the park. Of course, Claire didn't get to go today, but Chance went with me, for the first time in a while since I've mostly worked on weekends this spring.

There's another BBQ this afternoon, with a completely separate network of people, so I'm bringing a jar for Claire to spread her situation. I'm planning to be home before dark as even last night there were some loud firecrackers in our neighborhood that made the dogs jump.

This afternoon I submitted an application to The Mosby Foundation via email. I looked into In Memory of Magic but your dog has to be expected to pass away within ten days. Claire's condition is extremely painful but not life threatening at this moment. Please keep your fingers crossed for us! These are really the first private foundations I've been looking into--I know it'll be a long process. Claire keeps me focused.

Puppy School & BBQs

(Claire in the living room, June 2010)

The heat has been getting to Claire, the discomfort adding to her pain. She was making breathy pain sounds on Saturday, so I did give her a pain pill at night to ensure a good night of rest while it was cool. That meant she woke up sluggish and constipated this morning.

I left her on crate rest at home Saturday morning and took Chance to puppy school for the first time in months. It's nice to be getting back to our usual routines. Chance did great, and I felt better after putting in some training time.

Saturday began the rush of holiday BBQs, so I used the opportunity to talk up Claire's situation. I took a donation jar to my friends party just so they'd visually see the website, and her picture, in hopes that people will re-post and spread the word a little further.

Oh, and I think I forgot to report back on the application I'd put in to the Brown Dog Foundation this week. It wasn't till I got to the bottom of the application that I saw that they only serve specific states, so I knew they probably couldn't help, but since it was finished I submitted anyway. I'm glad I did, because their denial letter contained suggestions for several other sources, so I'll be following up on them during the coming week.

Summer Heat

In doggy world, Friday was overbearingly hot here in the valley. We've started a trajectory into the nineties, hitting 95 degrees by Sunday. Our little guesthouse has no insulation, and a high ceiling in the living room, so the heat simply builds. Claire & Chance had Pedialyte available to them as well as their water bowl, but the pups had to languish through the afternoon. I've installed AC units, but since the old structure isn't well sealed, they have to run pretty much constantly, and the bill gets up to $500 a month in the height of summer. Given Claire's surgery costs, I'm trying to forego the power bill as long as possible.

On the phone Friday, I followed up to see if the vet could hold an account for us so folks could donate directly to them, bypassing the need to hand over money to me as a stranger. I'm still waiting for an answer back. I also called Dr. Grey to see if we can work out some sort of arrangement for the acupuncture. If we can't waive the examination fee each session, Claire will probably have to stop going. At over $100 per visit, it's simply out of our reach.

Friday morning started by finishing up my 2009 taxes and mailing them off. We started on 2010 but are still in the process of sorting that out. I also finally did complete a bunch of insurance claims forms, bringing us up to date on those.

I made a couple more donation jars to be prepared for events over the weekend. I approached one locally owned pet shop and for the first time was unsuccessful--because the manager was gone for the holiday. I'll go back on Tuesday.

Jacquie Hanson of Practical Dog Training was Chance & Claire's long-time trainer. We attend group classes in a park on Saturday mornings as often as we are able. I filled her in on Claire's situation over the phone. It was great to get support from our regular community, and will be visiting them with Chance on Saturday morning.

I continued to network with nonprofits, trying to find a rescue group under whose guise I can apply for a grant from the LABC.

I posted an ad on Craigslist to spread the word and hopefully gain some blog followers for Claire. I also read through a bunch of postings in the pet section and came across a listing of sources put together by some generous person who has obviously been in my position. Next week I'll be following up with these private foundations.

Claire came alive in the evening when the heat finally broke, and we had a great long snuggle in her bed on the floor of the bedroom. It turned into an awesome photo shoot. The kids were more amenable to the camera than they've been in a while, and I was able to capture them both in the same frame, which doesn't happen all that often. ;o)

Claire's feeling somewhat better and is getting to the point where she wants to go with us on our walks. It breaks my heart to have to leave her behind just to walk Chance but she's still on the recommended six-week crate rest. This is that in-between time where she could actually damage herself because she's feeling so good on the meds she might overstep her limits. Yet I can still tell she's not 100% when she still makes breathy sounds of mild pain, and doesn't move when I come into the room, or doesn't insist on following Chance up into my bed at night.....guess I'll take whatever small improvements I can get.

The Pack

It's about time I introduced you to the rest of the pack. This is me and my brother Chance. Mommy actually had him first, from the time he was seven weeks old, back in 2006. Chance was the first doggy Mommy ever adopted in her whole life--before that she was a bunny person. Mommy found me on Petfinder when Chance was ten months old, so when I came into the family I instantly had one doggy brother and two bunny brothers. Now it's just Chance and me. And Mommy of course, but she's in charge, so she's usually taking the pictures and not in them. Mommy's the boss of me, and I'm in charge of Chance, even when he doesn't know it. But I look out for him so it's all okay.