Champion of My HeartA real-time memoir about life with a fearful border collie, by Roxanne Hawn

Indeed, Lilly is recovering nicely some 2 months since her adverse rabies vaccine reaction. She is nowhere near normal, but she is coping the best she can … as are we to the “new” puppy girl resulting from the veterinary emergency with her brain / nervous system.

Things don’t always go well, however:

• Lilly fell down the stairs last week.
• Lilly fell off the bed the other day.
• Lilly crashed while jumping my knees and slid on her side across the living room Monday night.
• Lilly’s rear legs gave out while on her usual 3-mile walk Sunday. For several seconds, she stayed there — like a tadpole or mermaid — and seemed that she didn’t know how to stand up. It was very scary.

Among her other lingering symptoms? Nose / breathing troubles. Video demonstration below.

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One of the biggest questions people ask when they hear about Lilly’s unfortunate and dangerous response to her recent rabies vaccine is this: How common / rare is it?

I promise you I’m trying to get a real, documented, publishable answer to that question (among others I hope to address either individually or in an upcoming FAQ).

Take that, red tape!

Here’s the rub. In order to get information on actual, reported adverse vaccine reactions, I must file a Freedom of Information Act Request with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA is the regulatory agency for animal vaccines … not the FDA).

I believe it all goes back to pets as an outgrowth of agriculture.

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Monday, we showed you some agility highlights as Lilly recovers from her neurological troubles. Today, we prove that it isn’t always pretty.

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If we get through Lilly’s recovery without me or Tom stepping on and breaking one of Lilly’s feet or without one of us taking a nasty fall ourselves (after tripping over Lilly), it’ll be a miracle. Truly. Read the rest of this entry »

Since Lilly doesn’t need another neurology exam for a couple of months, we thought it was a good time to recap of how much all this has cost us so far. Read the rest of this entry »

Oh, the fun with adverse vaccine reactions and treatment side-effects continues. Poor Lilly. Always the dainty thing, while still being a rough-and-tumble mountain girl, Lilly now drools like you would NOT believe. Read the rest of this entry »

Once upon a time, Lilly was a delicate, agile, sure-footed border collie with amazing balance and strength. She could jump greats heights, seemingly without trying. She could land with grace and nary a sound. These days, she moves more like a little, black-and-white Frankenstein.

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If your dog has never required medications that cause dramatic behavioral side-effects, count yourself lucky. Friday (3/9/12), we had another MAJOR scare with Lilly. <insert expletive here>

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I’m doing my best to share the whole picture of what exactly went wrong in Lilly’s body and brain following her adverse reaction to a rabies vaccine nearly 2 months ago. My dog training / dog behavior friends will find this VERY interesting.

One of the things Lilly lost along the way — entirely for a while and now spotty? Canine calming signals. For example, typically when you kiss a dog (even one who is used to it), the dog will lick its lips as a way of saying, “I don’t like that” or “You’re making me nervous.” Calming signals can also be used to prevent altercations between dogs. For weeks and weeks and weeks, Lilly did not do that … at all.

Not a big deal to us, but to Ginko? Kind of a big deal.

Combine missing calming signals between dogs with her lifelong behavioral challenges and now poor body control, and you get a tense canine household.

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Here is the latest video update on Lilly’s remaining neurological problems from meningoencephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and lining of the brain and spinal cord) after an adverse reaction to a rabies vaccine given January 23, 2012. While her symptoms are improving, many remain … including continuous body swaying and head wobbling.
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I’m sorry for the delay in posting anything official to the blog. Those who follow us on Twitter and Facebook know that Thursday’s recheck appointment turned into an epic odyssey of waiting and waiting and waiting. It was a LONG day. Then Friday, I had FOUR HOURS of conference calls (one was a 3-hour video call) … before I could start my birthday celebrations. And, now this morning (Saturday), Lilly is having a conniption that I’m at my desk. So, just a quick, rambling update.

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As the rampant inflammation slowly subsides, Lilly is getting fewer nosebleeds. Her nose is still all crusty and blocked, though. So, I had to share this video of her sleeping and trying to breathe.

A few other important data points:

• 2 weeks … how long Lilly has been seizure free
• 1.5 pounds … how much weight Lilly has regained since the brutal, week-long diarrhea stopped
• 2 … the number of times Lilly now wakes us up each night for help (compared to 10-12 per night)
• 2/23 … Lilly’s next recheck appointment with our neurology team
• $865 … the amount raised via chip-in to help pay Lilly’s veterinary bills, including money sent my mail and other means (outside the chip-in).

Thank you! We haven’t had time to send individual notes, but we are humbled and grateful for each person who has sent us money. Here is a link to the Champion of My Heart chip-in explanation page. After next week’s recheck appointment, I expect our total costs of saving Lilly’s life to reach $8,000.

Still no insurance or other financial assistance news on the official front.

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Amid all the worry about Lilly’s brain and the inflammation with the big scary name (meningoencephalomyelitis), I concentrated on the motor skills like walking and the importance of good balance. Lilly remains in a greatly compromised neurological state, and yet … it’s the side-effects and other issues that cause the most concern lately.

I’m happy to report that as of Monday night (2/13) … Lilly began having somewhat solid poops. On Tuesday, after 5 days on one tummy medicine, the veterinarians switched Lilly to another one that she can take long term, if necessary. We hope the solid / semi-solid trend continues. Fingers crossed.

Fair warning. The photo below isn’t as focused as I would like, but it gives you a good (read … graphic) idea of just how bad Lilly’s nose can get. Keep in mind, I’ve been instructed NOT to mess with it. I cannot clean it. I cannot try to help staunch the bleeding. Nothing … because they believe I only make things worse.

So, often we wake up to a face like this, and (for some reason) it makes me cry much more than seeing my once strong, agile girl stumble through her days.

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I love my dogs, but they are full-on, downright GROSS. For a couple weeks, Lilly had been paying too much attention to her behind. Last Friday, I finally figured out why. Fair warning, squeamish pals.

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Over the Independence Day Weekend, Lilly and I squeezed in some girl time for a hike. No trouble with mountain bikes on the hike-only day, but we did come face-to-face with two off-leash dogs. Not great, but it could have been worse.

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