We have had our hands full over the past month with very critical dogs. Some have been new, and others have been with us for a while. Beautiful Sky was transferred to Live Oak Veterinary Neurology to see Dr. Jason King. After thoroughly evaluating Sky, Dr. King felt we were right not to put her down. He thought we did not have enough information, and more needed to be gathered before that decision could be made.
Dr. King went over Sky's MRI with the precision of a Surgeon. Every place on the MRI was studied and studied again to make sure he did not miss anything. Each time he analyzed it, he got more insight into this exceptional puppy. Dr. King's analysis of Sky gave us lots of reasons to feel hopeful. We will not be able to get her 100%, but I think we are making progress
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Sky's clinical signs are due to her hydrocephalus and cervical syrinx. The presence of vasogenic edema in the white matter of the cerebrum is not a typical pattern of perilesional edema for internal hypertensive hydrocephalus. Cerebral Spinal Fluid was taken to rule out infection as a cause.
Sky's pattern of obstruction and ventricular dilation is due to obstruction of the lateral apertures. This may be due to malformation of these structures or some other cause of secondary obstruction such as infectious or inflammatory conditions. CSF analysis came back normal and enabled Dr. King to rule out a secondary cause of obstruction, such as infection.
Dr. King decompressed the ventricular system when he collected CSF from Sky. The amount of fluid taken will allow us to evaluate Sky's clinical response in preparation for a potential ventriculoperitoneal shunt. At the time of admittance at CVRC in Charleston, Sky was believed to be blind in both eyes, and her mental state was not normal, in addition to her walking in circles. Her Neurologist, Dr. Klopp, wanted to put Sky down after seeing her MRI, which I was not prepared to do.
Getting a new set of eyes on Sky has given her a chance at possibly recovering to where she can have a good Quality of Life. The difference in Sky since Dr. King decompressed her ventricular system has been remarkable. She no longer walks in circles but can walk. We need to strengthen her legs which will enable her to walk with a solid foundation. Sky cried all the time in the beginning and no longer cries.
The most significant difference is she has regained some of her ability to see. She is not 100%, but she will look at you and find the little toys we place in her kennel. Dr. King feels the fluid build-up was putting pressure on the area of the brain that controls eyesight. He feels she will regain a lot of her sight when this is corrected, and her brain learns to process what the eyes are seeing.
Sky is in no way out of the woods. We have a long way to go in her recovery and have several more long weeks before Dr. King agrees to do the shunt procedure. He does not want to do any procedures to Sky that he is not confident will give her positive results. We are patiently waiting for the results he would like to see before he proceeds.
Our adorable tiny Angel has stolen each of our hearts in so many ways. It is a full-time job staying on top of her needs. We have to make sure she gets enough fluid and food to maintain her weight and bodily functions. She is on a strict medication regimen to hopefully prevent her from having a seizure while we wait for her shunt surgery. As you can see, we have lots of balls in the air but are happy to do them if it gives Sky a chance she deserves at living a great Life.
We appreciate everyone waiting so patiently for Sky's update. I decided not to update until the results were in and we had seen progress on our end. It took over a week to see the results we wanted. The good news is, Sky is progressing the way Dr. King had hoped she would. Our little Angel still needs lots and lots of prayers and funds so we can continue with her extensive medical care. Please, DONATE whatever you can for our little Angel Sky. Your support is greatly appreciated.
