December 12, 2000 - Sophie Is In
Trouble
Gene wrote: "Early this morning (about 1:30 A.M.), Sophie began acting strangely. She
was slow, her front half was trembling, and she was having difficulty
walking. I got Sue up and we decided to take her into Albuquerque to a
24-hour pet emergency center. Sophie had several x-rays and some blood work. It looked as though
she's either had a spinal injury or she has a congenital problem in C-7 (7th
neck vertebra).
The doctor gave her a cortisone shot and a muscle relaxer shot then told
us to take her to our vet in the morning.. . .Sophie-Woo has an appointment tomorrow (Wed.) at 9:30 A.M. to get better
x-rays and to have consult, afterwards, with a surgeon.
"
After the surgery, Gene
wrote: "Dr. Schwartz said she handled the anesthetic just fine and the procedure
went well. He said the spinal cord had a "U-bend" in it and, when he
removed the obstruction, the spinal cord went back into place by itself.
This is really good news because any manipulation of the cord can cause a
prolonged recovery ... or worse ... paralysis.
