Riley on the Road to Recovery

As some of you have heard, Riley has had an awful, awful week. We found him struggling to stand at the top of the stairs when we returned from the Tigers game a week ago today. It was heartbreaking and terrifying to see him unable to control his left legs, and looking to us for help. We made an emergency trip to the local vet, who ruled out poisoning or stroke, and said it looked like a neck problem. By Wednesday morning, he was much worse -- virtually paralyzed in all four legs. His big tail seemed the be the only thing working normally.

After a trip to MSU's animal hospital, we were refereed to private-practice specialists. Dr. Galle at the Animal Neurology and MRI Center in Commerce Twp. diagnosed a ruptured disc in Riley's neck. We left Riley in his capable hands for a Thursday morning surgery to remove the ruptured disc material, which was pressing down on his spinal cord. He didn't seem to recover much in the first 48 hours; A second surgery was required Saturday night in the same spot to remove a blood clot which formed in the area.

After several days where things looked a little bleak, he has begun to rebound. He's walking again, I understand, but not necessarily very well. It will be a pretty long recovery for him, as the surgery itself involved cutting through a lot of muscle to get to the spine, and of course the recovery of neurological function is somewhat unpredictable. But it's a very good sign that he has motor function... it means he's on track for a recovery. We're now cautiously optimistic that he'll recover 80-90% of his mobility and strength.

We're silly, sentimental pet owners, I guess. A week ago, I really feared losing him, and I still don't know if it will be worth the effort and expense. I just hope Riley is able to recover enough to enjoy several more healthy years.

I understand it's sort of an unusual injury for a retriever mix, but the MRI that revealed the rupture also shows he has degenerating discs. Our crash-o-matic red rover isn't a puppy anymore, and is going to have to endure some lifestyle changes to prevent a re-occurance. He'll probably get more walks to prevent rambunctiousness, and he'll be a downstairs dog from now on, as his love of leaping off the stairs is a no-no.

It's been stressful and sad... I apologize that we haven't been able to keep everyone up to date, but those aren't easy phone calls to make. We'll let you know when we know more. Riley may be coming home later this week... Think good thoughts for him, everyone.