Please say a prayer for our sweet Allie as she undergoes an MRI and Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) tap today at Live Oak Neurology in Savannah, GA.
Allie came to us two months ago after she dragged herself into someone’s yard, begging for help. She is a 34 pound mini Great Pyr who we thought was poisoned. She was having non stop seizures when we picked her up from the shelter and drove her to Palm Valley Veterinary Center, 90 minutes away.
Dr Mack treated her initially, starting her on Keppra and Valium, but when she continued to have breakthrough seizures he recommended she go to the ER. We took her to Capital Vet where she was hospitalized.
When she was stabilized and discharged from Capital Vet, Kelsey Crall and her family fostered Allie. Unfortunately, she did not recover after weeks of therapy, and one by one we ruled out other possibilities. We originally thought it may be Ivermectin poisoning, but she had no improvement several weeks later, when it should have been out of her system.
We took her back to Capital Vet, where Dr. Walker tried stronger antibiotics that could penetrate the blood brain barrier. It didn’t help. We tried stronger steroids. It didn’t help. She seemed to be getting worse despite everything we tried. There was one experimental treatment we asked about (adding Cyclosporine), but Dr. Walker said if she had no improvement on the steroids, it would not make any difference.
Her prognosis was bad, her condition was declining, and her panic attacks were getting worse. On top of that, Kelsey was leaving town for a week and a half. We made an appointment for the at home hospice vet to say goodbye to her at Kelsey’s house.
Then something unexpected happened. Kelsey ran out of her stronger steroid and switched her back to regular prednisone. Allie made a remarkable improvement. She was more alert and her coordination improved. We cancelled that at home euthanasia appointment. Suddenly, there was a glimmer of hope.
Gayle Gallagher and Rosario Arteaga and her family each temp fostered Allie for a week and a half while Kelsey was away. The first few days were very rough. Allie can't see or stand on her own, and the new environment made everything more scary. She finally settled down a bit, and she improved a little more as we tapered the steroids, but she still has unpredictable panic attacks.
We wanted to do a Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) tap, but we needed to wean her off steroids first. She's now been off steroids for a week, and Kelsey left early this morning to take her to Savannah to Live Oak Neurology.
We're really hoping for a miracle. We should get preliminary MRI results quickly, but it will take a few days to get results of the CSF tap. We're praying for a treatable diagnosis. Please keep this sweet girl in your prayers!
𝗙𝗨𝗥 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗟𝗬 𝗚𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠
Sick and injured animals like Allie need help fast. Every donation helps, but Monthly donors give us flexibility to respond immediately when there is an emergency. When there is a hoarding case or a hurricane, a dog with a gunshot wound or a cruelty case, we have to act quickly. We don't have time to do a fundraiser, and wait for those funds to get to us. Your monthly donation can help us save lives again and again. To learn more, please visit: https://www.floridaurgentrescue.org/donatemonthly.
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Florida Urgent Rescue is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and FUR earned a Four-Star Rating on Charity Navigator with a score of 100%, the highest possible rating. FUR also received a Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency by Guidestar, and is a Top Rated Nonprofit on Great Nonprofits. Learn more about FUR at: www.floridaurgentrescue.org
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