MEET SELDOM SEEN
an 8-year old Australian Cattle Dog and beloved member of the Lyons family. Over the years, Seldom has had several nicknames – Puppybo, Uncle Seldy and Peep to name just a few. But, a year and a half ago, Seldom earned a new nickname, “Miracle Dog”. What happened to Seldom isn’t a miracle, but to a loving pet owner who had seen her active, fun-loving best friend reduced to a whimpering, limping shell of his former self, it sure felt like one…
Our “miracle” story began in September. I awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of my beloved pet, Seldom, whimpering. I snuggled up close to him and held him throughout the night as he cried. The next day, I found that Seldom was unable to lift his head up and that his front left leg was lame. I took him to the Veterinarian who took X-rays, but he was unable to see enough in the X-rays to know for certain what was going on. The Vet suspected that Seldom might have a spinal injury and recommended WestVet to me. He also suggested that we could try a course of steroids and confinement to see if the situation could be resolved this way.
I decided to try the steroid treatment and confinement. The steroids made an immediate difference in Seldom’s comfort level. For the next month, I kept Seldom confined as much as possible. I carried him up and down the steps, put him up onto the bed at night, got him down in the morning and carried him in and out of the house for bathroom breaks. I kept him in my office with me throughout the day. After 30 days had passed, I weaned him off the steroids and crossed my fingers.
Shortly after discontinuing the steroids, it became clear that the situation had not resolved. I once again awoke to Seldom whimpering and spent the rest of that night holding him and crying myself. The next day, I made an appointment at WestVet. I met with Dr. Chandler who examined Seldom and told me he suspected that he had Canine Invertebral Disc Disease. This disease generally does not resolve on its own and dogs that suffer from it are typically in constant pain, although the pain can be alleviated by steroid treatment. Unfortunately, steroids are harmful to a dog’s liver and do not represent a long-term solution. Steroids also mask symptoms and dogs on steroids tend to do more than they should, furthering the damage to their spine.
Dr. Chandler said that the only way to know for certain if Seldom had a spinal injury was to do an MRI. Dr. Chandler put Seldom back on steroids and I took a few days to think about my options: 1) put my best pal to sleep or 2) surgery. I couldn’t bear the thought of living without my best friend, so I scheduled the MRI and told the doctor that if the MRI revealed a spinal problem, to go ahead and perform the necessary surgery. The MRI revealed that Seldom had a ruptured disc in his neck so Dr. Chandler proceeded with the surgery. Seldom spent the night at WestVet and I picked him up the next day.
In the days and weeks that followed, I saw my dog gradually begin to return to his old self. We were able to discontinue steroid treatment and Seldom was pain free! Within a few months, Seldom was back to most of his former activities. A year and a half later, you would never know that the whole event ever happened! Seldom is back to playing Frisbee and ball and to being a nearly tireless companion to my son and me. We are grateful every day to still have him with us and I am so glad that I made the decision to have WestVet perform the surgery. Truly, this was some of the best money I have ever spent!
Thank you, WestVet, for restoring my dog’s quality of life and for giving us the precious gift of enjoying his companionship for years to come! We are truly grateful!
Sincerely,
The Lyons Family (Kim, Will and Seldom Seen)