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MATTHEW FOX TESTIMONIAL |
- Hi There, I have been away this weekend, but was very glad to see this discussion thread getting some attention. I am Matthew Fox, owned by Ch. Toledobes Nairobi "Alyx". I noticed her symptoms back in August of 2001, and I was heartbroken. At that time all I had heard was that when a dog was diagnosed with CVI or "wobblers" the end was near. It was horrid. She would cry out in pain when she would stand up or lay down. I put her on Rimadyl from the vet and that helped, but not much. They said the options were pretty much limited to spinal surgery at Ohio State University.
However, since I was working in an Orthopedic unit at the hospital at that time I was absolutely not a fan of spinal-fusion surgery. I have seen what it does to humans, a dog without the ability to understand why it should be still is destined for a horrible, if not impossible recovery, for what never seems to be a decent end result. I got on the internet and spent days trying to find an alternative. I located a website that described the same type of situation and I called the woman that created it. I wrapped Alyx's neck in a towel and secured it with an ace bandage wrapped around that, to stabilize the neck and prevent further damage. She referred me to Dr. Durkes and I called and made an appointment for the next day. That was September of 2001.
I loaded Alyx up in the car and we drove to Indiana. Dr. Durkes took a look at her, confirmed my worst fear and said he would implant the beads the following morning. At 5 pm I picked her up the next day and brought her home. She didn't do well at first with the neck brace, she hated it. She was unstable and uneasy and had to be assisted to do much of anything. HOWEVER, she needed no more Rimadyl and has not to this day, had to cry out in any pain since the DAY she had the implants.
- As Judy can attest, after seeing her this summer, Alyx is completely recovered. She is in excellent health, (though JuD says she is a little fat, an old bit of contention between us-hehe, love ya JuD) and you would never know she had a problem. Unfortunately, it did seem to strike her son and two of her daughters also. Both have had the implants and both have improved dramatically.
- Two things that I think are critical:
- 1) get it done immediately;
2) the BARF diet provides the proper nutrients and materials to facilitate healing. I spent days pre-preparing meals in ziplok bags for her - beef organs, chicken, veggies, etc. all ground up into a paste for her to easily eat without the danger of choking. It was kind of gross, but anything for her.
- I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone that even suspects wobblers...I am SO happy that this was the path I chose for her treatment.
I would be happy to answer any questions if I can be of any help to anyone facing this problem. Not that I am an expert, but my god I remember what a horrible feeling that was when I found out she had CVI.
Hope this helps someone.
Matthew Fox