A Diagnosis for Jake -- Good Vibes Needed!

Thank-you all for your words of support in my last post, and welcoming Jake to Golden Pines!

Jake and I were up and on the road early to see our primary vet.  Jake was nervous and shaking during the whole drive.  I felt badly for him.  With his world having been totally turned upside down, I had to wonder what he may have been thinking.  Once at the vet, the fuss the staff made over him, quickly reassured him that he was going to be okay. X-Rays were taken and very soon we had a diagnosis for Jake.

Jake has "degenerative spinal stenosis."  It's a painful condition caused by excessive bone formation in the spine, which causes a narrowing of the spinal column and puts pressure on the spinal cord.  It's a progressive and debilitating disease, and there is no "cure."  My vet, said it was the worse case she'd ever seen.  So we are going to try to relieve the inflammation along the spinal cord with a steroid, heavily restrict his activity for a month, (because we don't want to chance having a ruptured disc), put him on pain medications, and ask for you to send some good vibes for him.  Our hope is that by reducing the inflammation, it will improve his ability to get around, and give him a good quality of life for whatever time he has left.  If this doesn't work, the reality is, is that a decision about letting Jake go may have to be made.  But I do not want to think about that right now.  Jake seems happy and is settling in nicely.  So, the rescue and I feel strongly that we have to give him the chance that his previous owner wasn't willing to give him.

Thanks for sending your good vibes for Jake!