A Second Chance

It was around 11PM on a Monday night in March. My husband came in carrying Razz in his arms. He put him on the floor in front of me. Razz couldn't walk.

I slept with him on the couch. In the morning when he woke, Razz was panting and the look on his face was like WTF is going on, Mom? I told my husband to cancel our appointments for the day and we took Razz to the Vet.

What's Wrong?
The doctor we saw tested his reflexes and informed us our dog had lost all pain sensation in his back legs. We needed to get him to the nearest animal hospital ASAP and we did. When the orthopedic surgeon there saw Razz, she wanted us to get an MRI but their hospital didn't have one.

We had to travel 45 minutes down and 90 back in rush hour traffic to the animal MRI canter. The surgeon had told us if Razz did not have surgery within 24 hrs, there was a 90% chance he'd be paralyzed forever.

She reviewed the MRI report that Razz' has a ruptured disc in his lower spine but the condition was "inoperable" and we didn't know what to do. We took him back to our vet because they were able to do acupuncture. They told us to come back the next day when the acupuncturist was in.

In the meantime, they also contacted the neareat Animal Care Center (ACC) to make an appointment for us to see a neurosurgeon who could take us on Thursday. We took Razz back to the local vet the next day where the doctor performed acupuncture on his back and legs. He still has no pain sensation in his feet.

When we got to the hospital Thursday morning at 8AM, we were told there would be a wait because the surgeon on staff at that time had an emergency. What about Razz? There had no communication about the urgency of his case. We were frantic at that point and demanded to see another doctor.

We were placed in a comfortable room with a couch as we waited. With our Razz who was still panting all the time. I'll never forget when. our Neurosurgeon walked into the room at 2PM with his laptop and announced "I disagree with the diagnosis".

He reviewed the MRI with us and described Razz' condition in detail. Indeed he had a ruptured disc but this neurosurgeon classified it as a type that was operable. We were delighted and terrified at the same time? What about the 24 hour limit we missed?

What Do We Do?
This outstanding professional calmly asserted that this did not apply in Razz' case and he would operate on him the next day. We left our baby there and did not see him for a week. Razz' playmate Rosie was distraught during his stay and had that WTF look the entire time.

The Universe had put just enough obstacles in our way to get us to the right doctor at the right hospital. When we visited Razz after a week of recuperation, he was actually able to use his back legs to stand. The acupuncture may have actually helped prior to the surgery.

He had an 8 inch incision on his back and was shaved such that he looked like a little lion. According to the nurses, Razz had developed quite a fan club among them. His surgeon (our hero) also said he was making great progress.

I visited him every night, with treats, until closing time at 10PM. I bought a grooming kit to clip his hairy little body and we fell asleep nose-to nose by the couch.

We took him home a few days later with a special harness for his belly. With our help, the harness allowed him to motor with his back legs. As time went by, he regained muscle mass in his back legs which finally returned for him to walk again.

A Happy Ending
Today, our little scamp is not only walking, he's running and we cannot keep him from jumping onto couches, playmates, etc.! His bubbly personality has returned and so has laughter to our house.

Razz was my first "internet romance" after finding his 1st adoptive family had returned him. He never left my side during my bout with cancer. In the same time period, one of our sons had to have knee surgery and my husband was under terrible stress. And who says our animals don't absorb the energy of their humans?

The experiences of cancer and what happened to Razz were life-changing and forced me into re-thinking everything I should/could be doing. The reason we established The Razz Foundation is to give back to organizations like the ACC. The life-saving work performed by neurosurgeons, cancer specialists and other doctors like ours can't be thanked enough. They must be recognized and supported.

The ACC does not take donations (even though I was adamant to get them some). Their wishes were for me to help the Sonoma Humane society which has a similar hospital and needs the money, as well as the Marin Humane society. Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Pine Street Foundation are also a stone's throw from where we live.

Other dogs may not be as lucky as Razz - he is a mascot for pups in similar circumstance. Our mission is to serve as a funding resource, advocate for and illuminate special programs in these organizations. Won't you help? Many thanks for your support.

Elaine Black, Founder and Resource Advocate
The Razz Foundation: Spotlight on Animal Advocacy

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