Update 2/20/04 - It is wth a great deal of sadness that I have to
update Dion's story with the news that he has gone to the Bridge. Dion
had some behavioral issues that appeared as time went by, possibly linked
to his neurologicaldeficits. For the majority of the time he was a sweet, loving Dobe.
However on occassion, more so lately, he exhibited sudden bouts of
aggression. As the aggression appeared to be escalating, DAR&E made
the very difficult decision to send our beloved Dion to the Bridge.
There he can now run freely and normally, no longer encumbered by any
neurological limitations.
Dion was a cherished member of my family for 1 1/2 years and he will
be greatly missed by me and the many friends he made while in DAR&E's care.
Dion's Story
By his Hospice Care Foster Mom, Jeannie
Dion is a young, black & rust, docked and flopped (cropped ears but
not standing) Doberman. He is 3+ 'ish years old now and has been with
DAR&E for about 1 1/2 years. He came in as a stray, very skinny and
very unsteady on his feet. With time and TLC in a foster home he put
on weight, but continued to be very unsteady on his feet. When he
stood for any length of time his hind legs would "dance" and he would end
up sitting. Also he appeared unable to stretch out with his front end
when he moved forward. It's as if there's a brick wall right in front of
his chest and he is unable to move his front legs any further than that.
When he tries to run he ends up lurching as his front legs stop their
forward motion instead of stretching out in front of him like a normal dog.
It's very sad to watch and initially very discouraging for Dion. His
head would hang as he limped back to the house after attempting to follow
the other dogs into the yard for a romp. Once at the house he lay down
slowly, obviously in pain.
DAR&E took Dion for many, many tests
including; xrays, muscle/nerve biopsies and an MRI. He was taken to a
neurologist for evaluation and in addition all his records were forwarded
on to a second neurologist in a desperate attempt to diagnose Dion's
problems. The result of all that is that it appears that Dion has
Dancing Doberman Disease in his hind legs, but the problem in his front end
has stumped everyone. ( Dancing Doberman Disease has to do with
nerve-related communication to the back legs and typically does not involve
pain.) Prednisone was given to relieve Dion's discomfort, and it did
appear that it was successful, but prednisone was not a healthy long-term
solution. As serious side effects from the pred became evident, we
weaned him off that and onto some strong pain meds, which also appeared to
keep him comfortable. Everyone was so frustrated at being unable to
rPtore this beautiful young Dobe to health!
Today we are no closer to a diagnosis for Dion, but we have been able
to wean him off all pain meds and he remains physically comfortable.
He's learned to live with his disability and accepts that he just isn't
going to be able to keep up with his canine buddies. He gives it all
he's got though and maintains a happy attitude. He recently had a health
setback when we had to remove a large bladder stone, but he is now back to
"normal".
Given the uncertainty of his health, DAR&E made the decision to move
Dion into hospice care rather than make him available for adoption.
He's been in his current foster home for about a year and a half and is
settled and happy. DAR&E will ensure that this special Dobie will be
safe and loved forever, whatever the future holds for him.
