Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue, Inc.

Long Term Resident

Diesel was originally dumped at Cheyenne Animal Shelter by a guy
claiming that he had been taking care of him for 3 weeks for his
owner who never came back to get him and had abandoned him. The
shelter contacted us for assistance and told us that he had a tough
time laying down and may need some medical attention. We of course
promptly picked him up and brought him to a foster home so that he
could get the care he needed.

After his arrival into rescue, we took him to the vet right away for x-rays. Diesel was diagnosed with severe Spondylosis, which is spinal degeneration and deformity of the joints of two or more vertebrae that commonly occurs with aging. When the space between two adjacent vertebrae narrows, compression of a nerve root emerging from the spinal cord may result in sensory system and motor system disturbances, such as severe pain in the neck, shoulder, arm, back, and/or leg, accompanied by muscular weakness. Less commonly, direct pressure on the spinal cord (typically in the cervical spine) may result in global weakness, gait dysfunction, loss of balance, and loss of bowel and/or bladder control. The patient may experience a
phenomenon of shocks in hands and legs because of nerves contraction and lack of blood flow.

At this point in time, Diesel is shaking most of the time and definitely showing weakness and experiencing pain in his back and
legs. We are still playing with his medications and trying to make him as comfortable as possible. Many of you may recall that Rosco also suffers from this particular medical condition, however, Diesel is way worse in comparison! We are hopeful that he has at least a year left of quality of life with pain management, but also realistic and realize that it is not fair to put an adopting family through that kind of future. Consequently, we have decided to make him a permanent member of our foster program. We will call on individuals to sponsor his ongoing food and medical bills and he will have a place with RMGDRI for as long as he has left!

I want to take this opportunity to extend a special thank you to Diesel's foster home for being willing to make this special boy a part of their family for the duration!

6-27-08

Diesel is a very happy guy these days. His medications are doing the trick! He isn't the most athletic dog on the planet but he gets around just fine. His shaking has decreased signifacantly and he is more comfortable and able to sleep through the night now. He loves his short walks and running through the grass at the ball field. Every morning he will greet you with one of his babies in his mouth. Diesel is a wonderful sweet boy and welcome here for the rest of his days!