dispatches from quilt city

Aim your good thoughts towards Springfield, VA

On Sunday night, when I went to get in bed Maggie was already in our bed asleep. However, usually when we wake her up she gets up immediately and jumps down. Instead, she was moving really slowly and wouldn't move any faster even when offered treats or the chance to go outside. Her abdomen felt bloated and tense so I called the vet. She said she might have eaten too much food and watch her carefully.

When she hadn't gotten any better Monday afternoon, I took her to the emergency vets. They exrayed her abdomen and she seemed ok. The doctor mentioned that it can present as a secondary system if there are back problems but she checked Maggie's back and said everything was fine. When I took her home, I noticed she was slightly dragging her left back leg and I called back to tell the vet but again they assured me it was her stomach discomfort.

On Tuesday morning, her stomach seemed better but her leg had gotten worse. She sort of wobbled around and would fall occassionally. I took her back to the ER. The emergency vet said she definitely had "neurological defencies" and that we should take her to a neurologist in Springfield the next day. When we got home, we of course googled the crap out of her symptoms and it seems she had probably ruptured a disc in her back. I was hopeful that she could be treated with meds and rest.

We got to Springfield this morning and went straight in to see the doctor. Fifteen minutes later they had examined her and were recommending spinal surgery for later in the afternoon. Ten minutes later we had to say goodbye. Needless to say, pretty freaking traumatic. Hopefully, within the next couple of hours, they will put her under anethesia to perform a mylogram to see where the injury is and then take her immediately to surgery. They are supposed to call us as soon as the mylogram is performed and then after the surgery.

I just really want my dog to be ok.

UPDATE: Maggie has had her myelogram. The doctors have located the abnormal area and are prepping her for surgery right now. The surgery lasts from an hour to an hour and a half. They should call us afterwards and I'll post an update as soon as I can.

FURTHER UPDATE: Maggie is out of surgery. The surgeon said that the procedure went smoothly and was a success and that Maggie was awake and responsive post-surgery. We'll keep you updated as we learn more. Thank you for all your well-wishes and prayers.