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Now, for news about my sweet LuLu.
On Tuesday we were all outside working in the garden. I was watering and tending the flowers and Rich was working on the edge of the woods. Wally and LuLu went back and forth between us and occasionally they'd go for a little run in the woods. Routine stuff. After one such run, LuLu came back with a hurt foot or leg... at least that's what we thought. She was favoring it, but still walking. We took her inside to rest.
After a nap she progressed from bad to worse, and couldn't walk at all. It was as though her right hind leg was completely paralyzed. Of course, we took her to the vet immediately. The news is not good. They suspect a fibrocartilaginous embolism.
A fibrocartilaginous embolism typically occurs during times of activity, such as running or jumping. The majority of dogs will yelp once, or seem painful at first, but later there is typically no pain associated with this disease. The usual signs are a very abrupt loss of function to one limb, both pelvic limbs, one side of the body or all four limbs, depending on what part of the spinal cord is affected. Most often, one half of the body is significantly worse than the other.
Some call it a spinal stroke, but it's not exactly a stroke. It's an injury that results in an embolism which presents with stroke-like symptoms. We help her walk with a sling, but mostly she should rest. She has started a course of Prednisone, but there is mixed information as to whether that is helpful or not. We're hoping her condition will improve with treatment and therapy, but that's not certain. As you can imagine, this is heartbreaking for me. She's my sweetest girl, only 9 years old. She acts like a puppy, loves to help carry groceries and get silly after dinner. I've had a lot going on lately with the remodel and this blog subscription business, but nothing is more important than my LuLu. The vet has already brought up the "quality of life" issue. I cannot think about that! I love her too much and I'm falling apart here.
Many of you have been with both Wally and LuLu since puppyhood, so I wanted you to know. Keep us in your thoughts and/or prayers. Hugs to you.
