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Can you help? LUNA needs Spinal Surgery URGENTLY

  • Saturday 21st January 2017 @ 6:00pm

      21 January 2017
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    Hello again!

    With a few weeks gone by since my last update, you'd be pleased to know that my human was able to find a Hydrotherapy Clinic that I am now regularly attending. Although she meant well with getting me an outside home paddle pool and used the warmth given by the natural sun light for us to paddle in, it wasn't quite warm enough for my muscles to relax, so we've joined the Hydro Clinic where they're now supporting us to help restore feeling to my back legs.

    Miss Lou and Miss Ashleigh work with me two to three times a week, depending on how tired I am - if I'm too exhausted they don't over-do it and get me to skip a session, but I want to go back all the time so they give me more duck treats :-)

    My back left leg is better, I'm using it more to push myself when I'm helped along to walk, and when I'm encouraged to stand on my two paws I don't have much muscle to keep me up but it's getting built up again slowly. My back right leg is still asleep but I feel tingling and I'm correcting it a little more when I'm trying to stand up straight. My tail likes to wag and that always makes my human happy.

    I'm losing weight now to help me with my therapy (booOO!!!) I miss all my Greenie bones that my human used to give me a lot. I know it's all to help me get up and walking again and back in shape though, but I can't wait to get them again.

    Thanks again for all the financial donors and in particular more-so recently those who bought the Trademe auctions. To Michelle and the Currie family who kindly donated another $600.00 dollars on top of auctions that they won, my human and I thank you, and everything goes toward the resources and therapy to help me with my recovery.

    My next appointment with the vet is this week on Tuesday. Hopefully she will give me more treats and will be happy with the progress. I'll update you on how that goes this week.

    With love,

    Luna

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  • Monday 9th January 2017 @ 7pm

      9 January 2017
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    Happy New Year!

    My human can now give a good update for you all about my slow progress, but I'm progressing!

    We went to see the vet again and she was happy to hear and see that my urine infection had gone and that I was now peeing and pooping all okay. No more antibiotics for me (yay!) but I'll miss all the food I was getting to take the pills though. I am still on a pain killer to help me adjust to all the nerve damage and physio. I have done a lot with my human in the past weeks.

    Guess what? She bought me a pool too! Yes! I love the water and so it's supposed to help me with movement in my back legs without hurting too much. She also bought me a 'Help me up Harness' which gives her relief for her back and better for me for movement. I'm grateful and she's thankful for everyone who helped finance to get us what we needed.

    I have another appointment with the vet 23rd January and my human has booked me in for something with needles to be put in my back? Acqupuncture is what it's called. It sounds interesting, I don't know if I'd like that but she's giving everything a go.

    My back legs: Well, my left is sort of working. I hold it up a lot and when she says for me to "push" I push it on the ground to help me move. My right leg is floppy. It has a bit of feeling but not much. My nails still grow heaps so I think it's still ok.

    I want to run up the river that my human takes my other pack members too every day. That's my goal, go for a walk with her and run into the river. She's not giving up on me, and I'm not going to give up either.

    Thank you for all the continued support, and I want to thank Mr. Joey from Whangarei who sent me a Christmas card and money to help my rehabilitation. You didn't give your return address, so I want to thank you on here and hope one day you'll see it or someone can pass the message on that it was received with great thanks.

    My human has auctions on Trademe still up for grabs to help me with my continued therapy, grab a bargain and see if there's anything there that you'd like.

    Here's an auction that someone has bid on already - thank you!

    http://www.trademe.co.nz/jewellery-watches/rings/yellow-gold/diamond/auction-1234558036.htm

    I'll update again soon.

    Love,

    Luna

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  • Friday 23rd December 2016 @ 8am

      23 December 2016
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    Finally my human has had time to make an update for you all about my post-op spinal surgery.

    Since the last post there have been a number of changes in the household one major change was the move to another district - long and tiring but I did well with the travel and we stopped plenty of times so I could get in and out.

    My legs still aren't moving but strength and nerves are coming back in my left hind leg. My human massages and does physio on me throughout the day and night to try not let me seize up, but the muscle on my right leg is nearly gone and my paw is just floppy now, I think it's still asleep and needs more time to rest and wake back up.

    I started peeing blood a week ago. My human rushed me to the vet and they said I need antibiotics because I'm not peeing everything out in my bladder and although my human is doing her best to express me there's at least 5cm left in my bladder - I might need to be on antibiotics for the rest of my k-9 life? And be expressed by my human too - but she's hopeful things may change.

    The new vet is fantastic, her name is to Annelise. She loves giving my tummy rubs and plenty of treats when my human isn't watching. She's taught my human a lot about what had happened in the surgery, progress and the reality that things may not get better. She took out stitches yesterday and gave me a good scratch! Now I can have a good wash-wash for Christmas and my human will be happy :-)

    Diagnosis is to give me 10 weeks. 10 weeks to see improvement but go back to see Annelise first week in the New Year and hope I'm still not peeing blood.

    I love my human and she's doing her best, I can see she's tired and her hands are finding it hard to keep going with my weight in carrying me around as well as helping me several times a day to take me to the toilet, but she's persistent and happily enjoying her time with me.

    Thank you to all the donors and people who have contacted my human and are thinking of us. Thank you for this time and the financial help we have needed for my surgery and recovery. There are still generous people donating toward my expenses and we can't thank you enough.

    Have a safe and happy Christmas and I'll update you in the New Year (ASAP) once I see the Vet again with another update.

    With love,

    Luna

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  • Saturday 10th December 2016 @ 10:30pm

      10 December 2016
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    Wow, what a fantastic few days at it has been.

    I'm sorry that my human and I haven't updated you all for the past days but now that we have a few things all done and in the pipeline for my recovery we can now let you know some fantastic things:

    1) The 'Givealittle' donation page closed on midnight, Wednesday 7th December 2016, and our final amount from givealittle donations were: $3,176.74 (less website admin fee = $3,017.81! The cash donations totalled to $2,700.00! Grand total being $5,717.81. But there's still donations coming through from people!

    2) With the monies nearly reaching our $6,000.00 goal we were able to pay the surgeons costs (who also gave a wonderful discount), which totalled to, $4,500.00

    3) We were able to have enough funds to also order with the remaining monies (a) Help 'Em Up Dog Harness with a shoulder strap assister ($250NZ), and (b) Walkin' Wheels (est. $1,100 - $1,500) from Red Dog Rehab in New Zealand ... all of which are very expensive but necessary to help me and to help my human with me as it's been a challenge for her to keep carrying me with a towel under my belly, and I'm not a small dog so my weight is hard on anyone to carry. We hope to receive at least the harness in the next week.

    I still can't walk on my back legs, I have feeling there though, the physio that my human does on my legs can sometimes be annoying and I get a little grumbly, but I know it's meant to help me.

    I'm supposed to see the surgeon again in another week, so I hope to have made a bit more progress before seeing them again.

    We can't thank you all enough for donating to help me get my spinal surgery and recovery/rehabilitation.

    I will keep you updated. Thank you for being patient.

    With love,

    Luna

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  • Tuesday 6th December 2016 @ 2:00pm

      7 December 2016
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    I'M GOING HOME!

    Yes, my human came to get me today.

    Before she got there the surgery gave me a big wash. I smelt great, I felt great, I love the water. Then I waited in my quarters until she got there. She was late!

    When I first saw her, I growled. Yep, I growled at her. Not the reaction I suppose that my human wanted, but I was drugged pretty heavily and I just woke up (so give me a break ok?) and I was annoyed she was late.

    Then once I heard her voice and she growled me saying in her deep voice "hey, don't you growl at me Big girl, naughty!", my tail wagged like it's never wagged before. I slid across the ground to get to the gate before she could come in and kiss me. She was happy, I was over the mooOOOoOOn.

    My human was looking at my big scar on my back and checking my legs and bum so that it was clean, she always cleans me it's annoying. She sat for a while until the Doctor came in and showed my human how to do exercises and physio with me. The Doctor showed her all the medication that I have to take, when to take them and how to take them, they gave her some doggie roll to make sure that I'd eat the tablets and not spit them out.

    Then off we went out the surgery door and into the car. I was so excited I peed everywhere and then by accident once I got in the car I pooed! (lucky my human put my nappy on and managed to catch most of it in there).

    Now it's homeward bound for a long road to recovery, I see the Surgeon again in two weeks. I hope I get better and my human does too.

    Thanks again for all the donations for everyone, the kind thoughts and prayers for me and my human. They mean so much. We've nearly reached our $ goal!

    Will update more tomorrow.

    With love,

    Luna

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  • Monday 5th December 2016 @ 2:00pm

      5 December 2016
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    Wow, what a weekend!

    On Thursday 1st December 2016 I had my operation, it took over 4 hours. It wasn't easy, it was a challenge.

    They found on my spine a lot of bruising. Bruising is BAD. It makes recovery very long and lengthy and my human will need to have a lot of patience and commitment to help me get back on my paws again. I have no doubt that she will do her very best to do that.

    Thursday evening my human messaged the Surgery to ask how I was. Friday, she messaged three times, Saturday more and then by the time it got to Sunday, the surgery said she could come see me on Monday morning ... maybe because they were getting annoyed at all the messaging :-) but at least they know that my human loves and adores me.

    Now it's Monday, the surgery said to my human that it might not be a good idea to see me today as I'm doing a bit better and the over excitement might cause more damage. I wish they had video calls here. My human would be happy to see and talk to me that way.

    It's hard not to see my human. I need my favourite fruit (apples) and bones (greenies) from her. But I know she'll have plenty for me when she does get the chance to see me.

    The Doctor has been doing physiotherapy on my legs and paws. I want to get up and run and jump, but I still can't stand much. Still a long way to go.

    I want to say again to all the donors and people who have given their kind support - THANK YOU. Thank you for helping me remain with my human. Thank you for giving hope to me in a hopeless situation. Thank you for being patient with the updates as well.

    My human even managed to get me in the newspaper, thank you Annette Lamby for the great article! Take a look:

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/northland/87138140/animal-lovers-rally-to-help-save-luna

    With love,

    Luna

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  • Thursday 1st December 2016 @ 6:00am

      1 December 2016
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    Overnight from Tuesday 29th November through to Wednesday 30th November, we raised close to $1,500NZ via the 'givealittle' website and cash gifts of $2,000NZ. That is half way to the goal for my Spinal surgery! Thank you :-)

    During Wednesday 30th November evening, so many of our Facebook friends and family and animal lovers from all over the world were flooded by social media posts about my plight. My human can't thank you all enough for your invaluable service and going out of your way for me in spreading our message.

    At approximately 9:00pm yesterday evening, a text was made to the Vet Specialist, telling him of the donations and support given toward my surgery costs. He then politely replied back and said "See you tomorrow morning at 9:00am, bring what money you have and we'll sort the rest at a later date, no breakfast for Luna".

    That's what's happening people! I'm off to surgery, so there is hope.

    More updates to come shortly.

    With love,

    Luna

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