I'm actually searching for hydrocephalus in dog forums, and it's mostly coming up with Chi forums. I wonder if they'd welcome a lowly Sibe owner...

I'm so sorry to hear all this. I just went though the whole thread. My heart goes out to you, ghost, shadow and the whole family.

Firstly, I am glad that you got answers so that treatment can begin quickly. I am so glad that Shadow found you guys, many people would not deal with this, sometimes we are given things because we will do what's right. My boss at work told me that god gave us Ruby because he knew we would fix her knees. That's what I say to you, he knew you would take great care of Shadow, and she is in the best hands she could be in.

So sorry that you have to go through all this, keeping you guys and baby Shadow in our prayers!

blueeyedghost wrote:

I'm actually searching for hydrocephalus in dog forums, and it's mostly coming up with Chi forums.  I wonder if they'd welcome a lowly Sibe owner...

Dog people are dog people. They welcomed me with open arms before I got my first Chi and all I had was a husky. Hope you find some more helpful info there. Fwiw, the Chi forum I frequent most is Chihuahua-People.

Meredith I'm so sorry you have to go through this. I can just imagine how devastating it must be. I hope Shadow can lead a long normal life on the medication. Wishing you the best of luck!

I'm glad you have some answers. You at least now know how to take care of her better. Shadow is in good hands and she has the best chance to have a normal life with you. Thoughts and prayers for Shadow for the best possible outcome!

Hoping the meds work for shadow!

So sorry to hear about shadow I know you recently rescued her. I'm glad they found the cause and can hopefully manage it

Hey Meredith,

i know i've been talking to you through text and also at the h2m2 meet, but i just wanted to give my support on here too.   Like i said, text or call me if you ever need anything... ie Help with lulu if aaron is out of town etc.. anything. I'm only a phone call away .

-Steve

I've been away from the forum from a few days and just caught up with this thread. Meredith I want you to know you have my support as well. After sitting here reading through the entire thread I'm shedding tears thinking of the heartbreak this has caused you and your whole pack. I can imagine how difficult it is for you to watch Shadow going through this.
Me and Ghost's look-alike Luna send you our best wishes for a good outcome in this. We're pulling for Shadow.

Any update?

I'm totally afraid of jinxing things, but we haven't had a seizure since the one she had at the neurologist's office on Friday morning. She's also showing much more consistency with the potty training, and my regular vet said that the Prilosec does kick in pretty fast with the diuretic properties.

I had an email today from the neurologist, and he said honestly he is guarded about her prognosis. The kind of malformations she has along with the hydrocephalus are essentially unheard of, so we're really in rather uncharted waters. He's afraid that the seizures will be very difficult to control, but if we are able to control them that he doesn't see why she couldn't lead a relatively normal life. Because of how rare her condition is and how alone I've felt in finding others who are going through or have gone through similar situations, I think I'm going to start some sort of online community so that people in the future don't have as hard a time as I have. My regular vet also made the suggestion, and Aaron and I had already had the idea, that if (and it really is a big if at this point) we are able to control the seizures she would make an excellent therapy dog for disabled kids. Thanks to the brain damage, she's incredibly mellow and sweet, and as long as we can get her properly socialized and trained she could do wonders for kids with brain and other physical disabilities.

Good news.. Thanks for the update I was thinking about you guys and wondering how it was going..

sorry you are having so much trouble finding info on the condition, but its great you want to start a site for it so you have others to talk to about it. i hope you can get everything under control, i dont what to even think about what would have happened to her if she was not part of your family, i know you both will do what needs to be done to make her better! how about some picture updates, it looks like she is growing!

I actually have several pictures I need to upload. Between being away and being crazy with work, I haven't had a whole lot of time.

I have a pretty good idea of what would happen to her if she were with most other people. The last week alone has had pretty high vet bills, and that would be enough for a lot of people. We're fortunate that we've been able to handle those, but I'm not going to lie, it's really going to be hard if she does need the shunt surgery. Those do have a somewhat significant failure rate as well, so if she gets one there is a chance she'd need another.

She's having another really good day and was actually able to jump all the way onto the couch this morning, but I'm so afraid of the meds losing their effectiveness. They keep telling me she could do really well, but I just keep seeing cases with bad outcomes.

Maybe if she requires the surgery your rescue could do a fundraiser for her. I know its hard not to, but try not to worry about the future too much. Just go day by day with her and hopefully the meds will keep working. Praying for you guys!

I've considered doing a fundraiser if she needs the surgery, but I feel really weird asking people for money and I know Aaron feels even more strongly about it. We've done fundraisers for organizations before, but I feel kind of selfish doing it for a personal reason.

I'm trying really hard to stay positive, it's been a really emotional week as we digest what this means for our family. We're both really angry, but trying really hard not to take it out on innocent people. I will say though, the next person who ridicules me for spending so much money on "just a dog" will probably find my fist in their mouth.

I understand what you mean about the fundraising thing. And eff all those people saying that!

Thanks for the update. I am happy to hear she is doing better. I agree - sock 'em in the mouth! Our huskies are like children to us. If they can't see that, screw them.

You are very fortunate to be able to pay off those bills. If it were me, I would try to budget more to try to save for a possible surgery. Whatever you can't save up for, get a small loan for it (if the time ever came). I am a big frugal freak (sometimes it gets me in trouble with the bf), but it doesn't hurt. Now, don't stop going out to the movies or a date every now and then, but I would try to find ways to save money around the house. For example, we use Netflix instead of cable. I make our own laundry detergent. I keep the house at 78 degrees F to help save on the electricity bill (he hates this one the most).

I was also going to suggest insurance, but since her condition is already existing, you may not qualify for many of them. PetAssure does get you 25% off any vet visit, BUT only for qualifying vets. You have to find your vet on their website to see if it's covered. It doesn't matter about the pre-existing condition.

You can also host a benefit (is it the same as a fundraiser?). I know you feel bad for asking for money, I'm the same way. Very independent and proud of it. But there are a lot of people out there who like to help. Maybe your rescue could host a get together at a dog park and raffle off a few prizes and sell food/cookies/treats for money. Rockin' Da Huskies will pick one rescue a month and donate 5% of their purchases to the rescue. It's a small company, but each penny counts.

http://rockindamoots.com I'm not sure if you've heard of her, but our rescue has a foster named Reba. She was featured on some t-shirts sold by Rockin' Da Moots and the rescue got half of the proceeds for each t-shirt/item that had her name on it. Maybe you could get something going for Shadow.

Anyways, I just thought I would run some of those ideas by you. I hope I helped brainstorm a little bit. We are all pulling for you.

blueeyedghost wrote:

I will say though, the next person who ridicules me for spending so much money on "just a dog" will probably find my fist in their mouth.

that was me last month with Sierra! and it was coming more from my family then any one else! i will be paying that bill off for some time but hey its what you have to do.

as far as raising funds, i get how it could be weird for you to do it but it may not seem so weird if the rescue ran something for you. treating it like it was a breeder her condition "happened" in the rescues care, even though all they were doing was saving 2 huskies and one happened to have pups in their care i would think they would be willing to help out in some way.

Just remember the best thing for Shadow is for you to be around not in Jail for assault

I only just caught up on this. So sorry you are going through this and I hope the medications will keep the seizures under control. One thing is certain, Shadow found the right home when she came to you You will do what is needed to give her as good a life as possible. I think your idea of her as a therapy dog for children with disabilities is wonderful. Best of luck with things and I will be thinking of Shadow and hoping that she doesn't need the surgery.

Im sure it would feel wierd fund raising but people do it for their childrens sports teams all the time. maybe you can give a portion of proceeds to the rescue or another charity that you like. you dont have to give half or anything  Im sure any charity would be happy with what ever you could give them. I know if I was walking out of Wallmart and you were there Fundraising I would certainly donate, (or buy a ticket) maybe a small draw for a basket with a bottle of wine and 2 movie tickets. The best of luck to you and Shadow.  

When I first rescued my greyhound girl Nellie she almost died from a severe reaction to a lymes disease vaccination. It cost us 2,800 to save her life. My own family kept telling me to let her go, it isn't worth it, she's a rescue! My "friends" told me I was nuts and to just go rescue another.
That dog was my heart and soul. She was two when we adopted her, TWO, a baby still. I never regret saving her life! She lived to be 12 and we had to put her down due to cancer, when found it had already spread to her lungs. It nearly broke my heart! There was no saving her from that!

ANYONE that says that kind of stuff is just plain stupid! And they don't know because they probably never had a pet to love. Heartless people make stupid comments, best to walk away and ignore!

Your doing great with Shadow! She is so worth it!

Thanks, June. It really helps to have the support that I have here. She had a couple of small seizures this weekend, one yesterday morning and one this afternoon. Not sure if it's just because we changed her from the 8 hour seizure med to the 12 hour extended release (Keppra is the name of the drug), or if she overheated or what. Both happened outside, one was on a walk, the other while we were playing in the pool (she was on the patio). It's disheartening to watch her go through this, but she pops right up every time and acts like nothing ever happened.

Well hopefully she'll adjust to the new extended release of the drug and be okay. It's really amazing how loving and happy a dog can be when they are going through stuff like this. There is nothing more inspiring to see an animal that has gone through pain or health problems and is still wagging her tail. Glad she is doing well inspite of the challenges. Some people will just never understand how deep a relationship can be with a dog because they will never allow their pets to overcome.