01/06/12 Currently on Medical Hold SEE UPDATE BELOW
Please meet a very, very special rescue named Kobe. This handsome pug
turns 8 in a few months. What you may not be able to tell by looking at
Kobe is that he is a very unique pug. He suffers from a severe walking
impairment. His back legs kind of stretch out behind him, while his front
part is quite hunched over, with one leg sort of gliding or propelling ahead
and the other front leg taking the steps. We have attached a video for you
to see how Kobe gets around.
Polar Pug Rescue & Friends would never turn down a pug in need, and
Kobe is no exception. Less then 24 hours after arriving in rescue, Kobe
was taken to our vet for diagnostics. His entire body was x-rayed. What we
discovered were some answers, and some mysteries. It was revealed that
his two hind legs have luxating patella (basically means his knee caps
slide in and out of the socket). This is generally a surgically correctable
condition - however, the x-rays did not show anything clearly for the front
half. We cannot do any corrective surgery on the back legs until we can
figure out what is causing the problems with the front part. And, as if things
weren't rough enough, the x-rays also revealed many small bladder stones.
Kobe will be visiting with a veterinary specialist over the next few weeks.
We hope to find out what is causing Kobe's walking problems and
formulate a treatment plan. In the mean time, Kobe is enjoying a loving
home with his foster family. He is a very sweet and loving pug, with the
most precious little bark and soulful eyes. He loves to be picked up and
placed on the couch, and he loves anyone that will give him a good
scratch all over his body.
1/14/12 Update
Kobe was seen by the veterinary specialist today. Thankfully, we did get
an answer to what has caused his walking impairment. Kobe has
Tetraparesis caused by a slipped disc between the fifth and sixth
vertebrae in his spine. Basically this means that at some point in his
lifetime, Kobe sustained some type of injury or accident that caused his
disc to slip, which in turn caused him to have muscle weakness in all four
extremities. We do also believe this is painful for him.
The specialist did offer surgery on Kobe's slipped disc as an option, but
that surgery does come with some risk. A potential outcome could be
complete paralysis. At this time, Polar Pug Rescue & Friends has a lot to
consider for Kobe and how we can improve his quality of life with the
lowest risk to him. As an alternative, the specialist has recommended
acupuncture and laser light therapy to decrease discomfort. Kobe will be
starting both the acupuncture and laser light therapy as soon as we can
schedule him.
At the moment, Kobe is doing very well in foster care. He is managing his
pain well with daily pain killers and enjoying the family life. Although Kobe
may never be "cured", we do believe he is a special rescue that deserves
a chance at a permanent home. We would love to find him a home that
can meet his needs. If you think you may be that home, please contact us
to talk more about Kobe.
If you would like to donate to help his medical costs, please visit
our Donation Page to see how.
Please keep watching for updates on Kobe as we work to help him.
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