Sweet Ralphie has the best Spirit I have even seen in a dog. Every day is a great day for this sweet pup. We had waited a week before we posted our results because there were so many tests that had not come back. The MRI was not encouraging. We were hoping for a slipped disc or compressed disk that could be operated on and fixed. Unfortunately, it appears our sweet boy has suffered trauma that caused him to have a stroke in his spinal cord. The trauma was so severe that the damaged area was cut off from the blood supply and died. Ralphie had a slight fever, so we did a Spinal Tap to rule out an underlying infection. The results came by negative for any infection. His fever was caused by a Urinary Tract Infection that we are treating him for.
To say we were all upset about the findings is an understatement. All of the diagnostic tests pointed to a dog that would never walk again. After spending quite a bit of time with Ralphie, I decided that was not going to be his fate. He was not going to be defined by what the tests said could no do. Instead, I decided I was going to channel all of his infectious energy into getting him well. I picked up this sweet boy and took him to a rehab facility where they will be doing daily acupuncture and rehab to restore the area that was preventing him from walking. The front part of his body worked fine, It was from his mid section back where his problems began. Ralphie could control his bladder and kidneys, and he had feeling in his legs. He could scoot around a room quicker that a dog could walk and was happy doing it. The doctors are very optimistic about the outcome. At first they were gloom and doom until they realized I was not going to accept this outcome. I was going to do everything possible for Ralphie before I through in the towel and ordered a cart for him. I feel in my heart this is going to work. This amazing dog does everything you ask him to do with gusto. I can always get him a cart. For now, I am fully invested in restoring the nerves and muscles that control his rear legs.
For some reason, people are not donating to this amazing little dog. How bad does it have to be for him to matter? He can't walk; he had to drag himself all over the place and was abandoned on the side of the road. If that is not abuse and neglect, then I don't know what is. Everyone is so used to dogs we take in being tore up that Ralphie doesn't even count. Well, he does count, and he is the most amazing dog that deserves all we can do for him. Please, help us with his medical care and rehab. He deserves this chance as much as the other dogs we take in.
