Update August 17 – Adverse Rabies Vaccine Reaction Relapse

Lilly made great gains in her recovery through about Wednesday. She hasn’t been as great since then. She seems weak, tired, wobbly, and droopy. I worry about her gums and tongue being pale. We’re not getting much sleep at night. BUT, Lilly can walk again — not well, but she can walk.

I have zero time and energy to produce a real video, but we did post a short video clip of Lilly walking on our Champion of My Heart Facebook Fan Page the other night.

So that’s something, but since then, her walking and standing position has gotten droopier — especially when she is tired.

best dog blog, champion of my heart, border collie drinking from water bowl
Lilly often stands like a German Shepherd with bad hips, with her hind end sagging and swaying as the scuttles around.

It’s dispiriting to see, but she will try to play with her toys sometimes, even when she cannot walk well. Once in a while, she practically sits and tries to walk at the same time because she cannot hold up her back end.

I am NOT asking her to do ANYTHING physical right now. Other than going outside, where we help her potty, Lilly only pokes around the house or hangs out on a bed or in a crate.

She looks skinny, so we’ve upped her food intake, but that led to last night’s poopfest. We got almost NO sleep. We were up with her every 90 minutes or so.

Friday morning, I gave her a full-blown bath and did 2 HUGE loads of laundry because she had soiled nearly every blanket, washable pee pad, and towel we’ve been using.

We go Monday for a recheck and some blood work. So, I might have more meaningful news then.

best dog blog, champion of my heart, border collie after bath
Lilly says, "I'm not very happy about my bath this morning, but look how shiny and fluffy I am."

For now, this is the tired (but clean) girls of Champion of My Heart … saying have a LOVELY weekend.

best dog blog, champion of my heart, border collie in sphinx position
Before this relapse, Lilly was much more likely to "tip one hip" while in a DOWN position, but now, she tends to balance more like the Sphinx. I suspect it's more stable for her. She is less likely to tip over backwards. You can see the shaved spot behind her harness, where they did her spinal tap. (Photo from Wednesday evening.)

 

best dog blog, champion of my heart, border collie sitting in the evening sun, smiling
From Wednesday evening, Lilly enjoying being home and sitting in the evening sun. That, friends, is the face of GRATITUDE.