We expected to be at the beach this weekend. We've had a plan since January to go this weekend to the Oregon coast. Sand carving contest in Cannon Beach, relaxation at Rockaway Beach and a visit to Otter Crest. Well, as you've heard and probably experienced before, the best laid plans can still fall apart.
Friday morning,we noticed Otter was favoring her back legs and by late morning she was unable to use either leg at all. You could tell she was in serious pain and it progressed into crying and yelping with any movement. Pain killers helped her a bit but we took her to the vet yesterday to find out how serious her problem was.
Our vet said her spinal cord was swollen from the pressure of at least three bulging discs in her back. She said it had temporarily paralyzed her back legs and was affecting her ability to pee or poop. She had her bladder drained, got a shot of steroid and had a catheter put in. We brought her home yesterday with her little pee bag, some oral steroids, antibiotic, pain meds and a stool softener. She's as comfortable as we can keep her. All systems are functioning, although you can imagine it's a bit messy since she is still unable to stand on her own. Vet says she needs to stay as close to STILL as possible for the next 10 days. We'll keep you posted. The good news is that she's eating & drinking pretty well and the pain meds have kept her comfortable enough to get some sleep.
Gus is being supportive by literally "hanging out" nearby. He's super curious about that whole bag thing though ...
Keep a good thought for Otter. Hopefully she recovers quickly from this serious flare-up.
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