Four years ago yesterday...

[kimbersmom]

We were in the midst of a (for us) brutal heatwave, with days in the high 90s and lower 100s. We came home after going to dinner with some friends and let Kimber outside. I decided it was too hot for a walk yet, but she was full of vim and vigor from being in the air-conditioned house so I brought out the tennis ball and racket so we could do some fetch. I'd hit the ball, she'd run to get it, just like usual. We'd only done this a few times when I hit the ball into the tall grass that borders our property. Kimber bounded into the grass- then started screaming. I dropped the racket and ran towards her; she reappeared from the grass, dragging herself by her front paws. Her back end was just gone.

We rushed her to the emergency vet who said it was probably heat stroke and started her on IV solution. "We'll keep her for the night and she should be fine by tomorrow. We'll call you in the morning." We left, not convinced of the initial diagnosis. She'd been in a 68 degree house all day, and that scream. But there was nothing to be done but go home and cry and worry.

That night, the derecho blew through. It was like a sideways tornado and about 50% of the houses in our region lost power. Phone lines were gone. As soon as we woke up, we drove to the e-vet, dodging power lines. The e-vet was running on a generator. The vet came out and said the good news was that Kimber's temperature was down- the bad news was that her back end was still not responsive. It wasn't heat stroke. We signed off on x-rays to check for disk issues and then got to visit with Kimber. She was alert but didn't seem to recognize us. We cried and cried and went back home with the agreement that we could come back the next day.

The next morning, we had to wait for an emergency case to be resolved before we got to see our baby and talk to the vet. I felt horrible hearing the owners of the emergency case in the adjoining room; the dog had been hit by a car and wasn't likely to survive. The clinic was just a big sobfest. The vet finally had time to tell us that the x-rays didn't show anything but Kimber still was paralyzed. Did we want to get a referral to the Virginia Tech Animal Hospital? YES.

We often joke about living in the middle of nowhere but one thing we do live close to is Virginia Tech, which has pretty much the only vet school in the region. People from DC come down to use VT. We drove Kimber over immediately. A huge stroke of luck: the canine neurologist's house was one of those without power so she had decided to hang out at the clinic, so she was available to immediately consult. They planned to do an MRI but the derecho had ripped a hole in the roof above the MRI room and it was temporarily unavailable, so instead they did a contrast test. The vet used all the tests to rule out anything operable and said it was most likely either an FCE (spinal stroke) or a high-impact spinal bruise caused by her backbone hitting her spine and then popping back into place. The heat had had nothing to do with it. Either way, the treatment was the same- palliative care and rehab.

We brought Kimber home on July 3; she had regained her cheerful personality and was a favorite of the techs. We spent the day huddled on the floor with her, petting her. She seemed thrilled to be home and confused as to why her back end wasn't doing what she thought it should do. We set up a ramp to bring her outside (we have 3 steps that lead to the front door) and used a sling to support her back end. Thankfully, she still had function over her elimination.

Another huge stroke of luck: a rehab vet that had been recommended to us by our agility trainer was in the process of setting up her practice less than 2 miles from us. Kimber was the first dog patient at the practice. With her guidance, we immediately began exercises and connected with a holistic vet who provided laser therapy and acupuncture. Little by little, she began to show movement in her tail and back legs. As soon as the rehab vet gave the okay, we started taking Kimber to our friends' pool to swim. This set her recuperation into hyperspeed; very quickly she didn't need to use the sling and the vet predicted she could be back to where she was before the injury.

Well, we never got to that level of recovery but she's about 80% where she was and I'll take that without complaint. We think it was probably a spinal bruise. Our vet hypothesizes that Kimber probably fell or jumped or tumbled extremely rough one day and it made her backbone a bit unstable. On June 29th, Kimber twisted or ran in exactly the wrong way, causing the backbone to hit her spine and go back into place.

The final stroke of luck: this board. So many people here provided good advice (especially DaisyandMiia), shared rehab exercises, and- most important- showed interest whenever I had an update. My family and friends were sympathetic but I did my best not to talk *too* much about our latest struggles and challenges. But I knew I could come to this board and find a receptive audience. No one would say, "She's just a dog" or "HOW much are you spending?" or "It's not like she's a child, you know." It was always, always supportive.

Here's a photo of her yesterday, post-swimming. We're so happy to have our Kimber dog, and I hope I can repost her story for years to come.

[smartrock]

I'm so happy that Kimber has come so far also! The story of her injury always gives me the willies. I have no doubt Kimber is worth every second, every penny, every thought.

[Tanya]

so glad she came back to 80% and lives a normal life now. that first paragraph makes my stomach drop and I shiver just imaging that scream

[Jeff]

I remember this as well and how far you have come, both you and Kimber. We have always been rooting for Kimber and enjoy all her stories.

[WhoopsaDaisy]

I've never heard the whole story before, thanks for sharing. I'm so glad that Kjmber has made such progress and how great you had a friend's pool to take her to!

[Snowshoe]

I've heard that scream and it almost paralyses everyone who does hear it, not just the critter who emits it. It's awful. I'm so glad Kimber has recovered so well and her story will help encourage others with similar worries. Go Kimber.

[Berna]

I remember when you were posting about Kimber and her injury. So scary. You did a great job. It took a lot of emotional and financial investment, I am sure, but you did it. Thanks to you Kimber is here now and walking on all fours. May it stay that way for many, many years to come.

[Blackboy98]

I remember the whole story and the extraordinary love, attention of action you gave Kimber to bring her to today's point.

Happy are the members of this board that she is loving and playful and hope for so many more good years.

[zd262]

I'd never heard the full story before, I can't imagine what that scream sounded like. 80% is amazing and it's wonderful to see a happy kimber lounging on the lawn.

[sparky]

I am so happy for you and Kimber. That had to be gut wrenching time.