Foster Dog Journey

[coskigirl]

Interesting reaction to the kids. Sounds like she wants a family when she is ready for adoption.

Typically we don't adopt adult dogs out to families with kids under 12 as there's just too much risk with an unknown background. However, I'm going to let this director know that I think kids 8 and up would be good for this girl. Old enough not to do things like pull on tails but still a child that could have an amazing relationship with this pup.

 

[coskigirl]

So no steroids today, sedated X-rays and a switch to pain meds. Sedation resulted in this when we got home. She took the piece of bread from me but couldn’t find the energy to eat it so she slept like this for over an hour.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Have they figured out the source of her pain yet? This is so sad.

 

[coskigirl]

Have they figured out the source of her pain yet? This is so sad.

No. Neuro on Monday.

 

[Tricia]

Hope everything works out okay.

 

[skiki]

A little off topic, but if any of you know of a rescue in need of a dog wheelchair, I have one that needs a home. I found it at a thrift store for next to nothing, and figured they had no idea what it was. I was worried that it might get tossed if not sold, and that would be a shame. It looks pretty much unused.

 

[coskigirl]

A little off topic, but if any of you know of a rescue in need of a dog wheelchair, I have one that needs a home. I found it at a thrift store for next to nothing, and figured they had no idea what it was. I was worried that it might get tossed if not sold, and that would be a shame. It looks pretty much unused.

How kind of you! I'm in Colorado so a bit far from you but I'm tagging @bbinder who is a retired veterinarian in Massachusetts and may know of a rescue that could use it.

 

[coskigirl]

So, we have a diagnosis finally! Yesterday morning the neurologist called and said they needed to move my appointment and could I come in at 11:30 that day. Yes, absolutely, yes! Especially because she was having a really bad pain day as well. They've diagnosed discospondylitis which is an infection in the disc space, in this case between L7 and S1. Apparently these are often found with cases of UTI so we are doing a urine culture to see if we can figure out what microorganism is causing it. The hope is for bacteria, not fungus as the bacterial prognosis is much better.

In the meantime she's started clindamycin and as long as it's a bacteria that is responsive to it she should start feeling better in the next 24 hours which is really good because last night was hell. I think the exam really exacerbated the pain she was already in and she was screaming in pain every 2 hours through the night. She's barely moved today and I haven't managed to get her outside to potty because of it. However, she just let me do some pretty deep massage of her right hind leg which is the one she appeared to be favoring the couple of times I tried to get her up. I'm hoping that maybe I was able to loosen up whatever it was that was triggering the pain. Which is good because she has had a pretty good appetite so I can imagine that she will need to potty sooner rather than later. Cross your fingers that it doesn't get worse again overnight because that may mean hospitalization to get the pain under control.

 

[LiquidFeet]

You are being a good, good mommy to her. She will know this and will be very strongly bonded to you in gratitude and love. My fingers are crossed that the problem is bacteria not fungus.

 

[coskigirl]

You are being a good, good mommy to her. She will know this and will be very strongly bonded to you in gratitude and love. My fingers are crossed that the problem is bacteria not fungus.

Between her and Hatch my foster mentor said I've earned my foster stripes in record time. I told her that for the next round I'm looking for a dog with the description "sweet, friendly, crate trained" with no known mystery issues.

 

[bbinder]

Between her and Hatch my foster mentor said I've earned my foster stripes in record time. I told her that for the next round I'm looking for a dog with the description "sweet, friendly, crate trained" with no known mystery issues.

You’ve earned it!

 

[coskigirl]

So, Solara was hospitalized due to her pain last night. This morning I got a call from the vet saying that ketamine and morphine was not helping Solara's pain, they wanted to do an MRI. I had to take a final exam today so I handed it all over to the rescue group and the deal was that they would tell me what decisions were made when I got done. Honestly, I expected that I'd be heading to the vet to say goodbyes before they euthanized. Given her pain level it would have been reasonable. Instead I was told she'd had an MRI and was in surgery. In fact, she's still in surgery. Please, if you've got a prayer in you, please say one for this girl who has shown a true grit combined with a joy for life, people, and other pups that, given her pain, I cannot fathom.

I am so very grateful to my vet friends who provided me some direction in advocating for her. I am grateful to the vets who have seen her and worked to help her get better and have listened to my thoughts and ideas. Veterinary care is not easy. You have a patient who cannot speak words to you. You have clients who are only trying to interpret what they see but may be missing the signature symptoms that you would notice if you spent 24 hours with the animal. You do it while clients are worried not only about the animal but about costs and you are worried about the same. You want to provide the best care while you continue to meet your own costs that are not cheap.

 

[Bad Bob]

Prayers and kindest thoughts for both of you. I could not do what you are doing with these dogs, bless you for it.

 

[LiquidFeet]

So, Solara was hospitalized due to her pain last night. This morning I got a call from the vet saying that ketamine and morphine was not helping Solara's pain, they wanted to do an MRI. I had to take a final exam today so I handed it all over to the rescue group and the deal was that they would tell me what decisions were made when I got done. Honestly, I expected that I'd be heading to the vet to say goodbyes before they euthanized. Given her pain level it would have been reasonable. Instead I was told she'd had an MRI and was in surgery. In fact, she's still in surgery. Please, if you've got a prayer in you, please say one for this girl who has shown a true grit combined with a joy for life, people, and other pups that, given her pain, I cannot fathom.

I am so very grateful to my vet friends who provided me some direction in advocating for her. I am grateful to the vets who have seen her and worked to help her get better and have listened to my thoughts and ideas. Veterinary care is not easy. You have a patient who cannot speak words to you. You have clients who are only trying to interpret what they see but may be missing the signature symptoms that you would notice if you spent 24 hours with the animal. You do it while clients are worried not only about the animal but about costs and you are worried about the same. You want to provide the best care while you continue to meet your own costs that are not cheap.

I'm reading your post and thinking of Solara right now, the morning after her surgery. I'll be looking for your report, hoping for a miracle for this girl.

 

[coskigirl]

I'm reading your post and thinking of Solara right now, the morning after her surgery. I'll be looking for your report, hoping for a miracle for this girl.

Sorry, I was exhausted last night and copied most of that from a post elsewhere. She made it through surgery and was resting comfortably last I heard. More comfortable than she was even on lots of drugs right before the MRI. The doctor said it was quite clear why she was in so much pain and he hoped that now that he'd cleaned out as much infection as he could the antibiotics and further pain meds would control it and allow the swelling in the L7 nerve that was super swollen to reduce. We are cautiously optimistic. I expect an update call from a tech later this morning and they are saying 2-3 days in the hospital before coming home. I'm hoping they will allow me to visit today or tomorrow but given COVID I'm not sure that will happen.

 

[LiquidFeet]

So glad to hear the results of the surgery were good and that she should recover and have a good life. Who pays for that surgery? Foster mom?

 

[coskigirl]

Who pays for that surgery? Foster mom?

Oh, goodness, no. Well, I would if I didn't get approval or went to an out of network vet for routine services but that's not the case here. The rescue pays for it although I've had some generous friends make donations to the rescue specifically for her care. I doubt you'd have a lot of people fostering animals f that was the expectation. In fact, I've spent more on this endeavor that is really required buying things like collars, harnasses, leashes, toys, food, treats, beds, etc. Most of it is available in our supply rooms and I do take some but since I have the means I buy a lot of it myself to leave the donated supplies for others.

 

[coskigirl]

It was called to my attention that I haven't done an update. It's be a crazy week since I dropped her off for hospitalization!

Solara came home to me Saturday evening with 7 inch incision and 10 staples. She still screams in pain when I move her but we think that is basically PTSD. I can't blame her given the pain she was in but it is somewhat dramatic. She's on 8 medications which include antibiotics, pain, and an anti-anxiety med. She was good with taking meds when this all started but now she's over it and it's become a battle. Some of them are dosed in 3/4 of a tablet which is fun. Fortunately we stop the syringe in the cheek pocket one after today and another one goes away tomorrow as long as we don't see signs of increased pain.

Yesterday afternoon I think we had a breakthrough. I went out to get the mail and left her alone but with a camera on her. I got to talking with a neighbor and looked down at the video feed to not see her but see piles of poop. The video also has sound and I didn't hear her scream through that or through the screen door and I wasn't that far away. Another neighbor who can hear her screams regularly came out about that time and I said something to her and she didn't hear anything either. I headed upstairs and she was standing inside my glass door grinning and wagging her tail. I couldn't help but laugh at her! Anyhow, I'm hoping that she'll start figuring out that she doesn't hurt as much as she thinks she does.

They are saying 4-6 weeks of no stairs which is a bit of a problem in a 2nd floor condo. She's still using my deck for her potty but I'd like to start getting her doing it in the grass once the staples are out of her incision next week. I can carry her up and down the stairs but am nervous about in the snow. Because of that I'll probably have to give her to another foster for at least a few weeks. We had one lined up but he didn't realize there are potty issues so now he's hesitant and I'm not willing to send her to a foster that is just going to hand her off again based on that.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Thanks for the update. I was afraid to ask. Didn't know what the silence meant. She's a lucky girl to have you.

 

[VickieH]

What about the wheelchair that was mentioned earlier? Would that allow you to get her up/down stairs safely for a while?

I am so glad to hear that she's recovering well. She has lived with pain for so long. I had wondered about -- and I don't know how to describe it well, but -- when the brain has been processing pain signals for so long that it continues to do so after the source of the pain is gone. Or is it that the nerve continues to send those signals even though the source is gone. Anyway, I wondered about that -- whether that is unique to humans or might it be a bridge Solara has to cross. Either way, it sounds as if she may be getting past that and to a point where there are things that don't cause pain. And tomorrow there can be more things that don't.

I am so hopeful ... for her to start enjoying a life without pain and with luxury, and for you to start seeing her real personality come out and be able to help her prepare for family life. She has so much to look forward to.