This is the part of Dino’s journey that, no matter how much we’d like to, we can’t sugar-coat. Dino is facing a bit of a long road- his neurological tests yielded some promising- and some not so promising- results. So, let’s play “Good News, Bad News.”
Bad news: Dino’s “drunken sailor” gait is most likely caused by a cyst on his spine, which is hindering the motion of his front legs. We still don’t have answers as to what is causing the weakness and muscle loss in his back legs, but we have a feeling that spending the first 3 years of his life in a cage in someone’s backyard may have had something to do with it.
Don’t worry, we promised there would be good news- the cyst is treatable! The doctor will monitor our little fighter for about a month as he continues physical therapy, water therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic care, and anything else we can think of, to see if any progress can be made holistically. If not, the next step would be steroids and, if needed, surgery.
Additionally, although (bad news) Dino is officially blind in one eye, there is double good news- first, it is not affecting him in the least. And second, please tell us what dog would EVER look cuter with an eye patch than our Dino…can’t think of one, can you? Neither can we.
We try to keep these posts light, but honestly, there is NOTHING light about backyard breeding. Please, don’t engage in it, don’t support it, don’t be part of the reason it continues. Dogs like Dino spend their entire lives in cages, in pain, suffering with congenital defects and diseases, being put down at two and three years old because their maladies are just too much for them to bear. Dino is largely a good news case, believe it or not. He isn’t in any pain; many of his ailments are treatable; and he has the support of our unbelievably generous volunteers, donors, and his incredible-beyond-words foster, who will make sure he gets the care he needs (even when one visit costs $3000), and a family that he deserves.
Sadly, so many other dogs will not have such a promising story, and their congenital disorders will be passed on to their own puppies, causing pain for both them and the unsuspecting clients who purchase them.
No matter how you spin it, backyard breeding is just bad news.
We are so grateful to everyone who continues to support our efforts to give dogs like Dino a new lease on life. Thank you for following his journey and sending all the good vibes- he’s feeling them!
