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Buddy was discharged from the hospital on Friday and is now back home. He apparantly has some sensation in his leg, but that is not enough for him to get the strength to stand up.

I was pretty much a basket case rom Tuesday until Friday. When I called the vet on WEdnesday (not long after writing the previous entry), she told me (rather rudely) that she "did not have time to talk to a kid" and that she could "only talk to the person or persons listed on the medical records." I refused to take "no" for an answer and called the UC Davis veterinary hospital who has never seen Buddy and basically does not know he exists. I told the secretary that my dog had been diagnosed with FCE in the L-1, t-13 vertebrae and that I wished to speak with someone who could answer some questions. I didn't even know if this would be possible, as my dog was not a patient at the Davis hospital. The secretary said that she would put me through to the neurology unit, which she did.

I was surprised to get to speak with somone--I told the doctor what the diagnosis was and that I wanted some information regarding how to care for this dog and what I should expect. He was incredibly helpful and explained to me what was going on nerve-wise in Buddy. He told me that the nervous system signal that causes the leg muscles to extend involuntarily and give support was being interrupted by this blood clot. The signal would eventually reach the intended destination (hence the pain that Buddy would occasionally feel in his foot), but by that time, the signal would be so garbled and static-y that it would not be providing the necessary information. He told me about therapy and how to best rehab the dog. I thanked him for his help and asked whom I was speaking with--the guy on the other end was the supervising professor of the small animal neurology department. He recommended me a book (which was extremely helpful and a few websites.

Buddy canot pee on his own, so we have to extract the urine by a syringe. He also needs to be "force walked" and reintroduced to his leg. I tried to help him walk last night and I think I minjured my back in the process--it was like lifting an 80 pound back of potatoes. This morning, I built a "buddy-lift" system of pulleys and ropes so that he can rehab his leg w/o killing us. So far, he seems to be looking ok. Updates to come. Thank you to everyone for all their support.

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I am participating in the International Art Exhibition.




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