ZACK

Thanks to our friends at Sit With Me Rescue, Zak made a bee-line to Montreal on Friday night for a consultation with a phenomenal neurologist. He underwent a CT Scan on Saturday morning which revealed a small fracture along his spinal column. However, this small fracture is not severe enough to warrant surgery as surgery would probably destabilize the spine and surrounding tissues more than the fracture itself. It may very well be Zak has nothing more serious than a hematoma putting a bit of pressure on the spine causing his neurological symptoms. The neurologist was unable to tell by the CT Scan if it was indeed a hematoma or perhaps debris from the fracture. Time will give us answers to that. He also has some marrow loss but that will regenerate itself with time as well.

So Zack was discharged from hospital on Sunday with some very important instructions for his care moving forward. He will need at least 4 weeks of strict cage rest. No running, stairs, jumping or interactions with other dogs for that period of time even if he is starting to feel better. No small feat for a beagle! But, he needs this quiet time for his body to heal. Walking around should be assisted by a sling to help relieve some of the pressure but he can certainly walk around on his own with the sling - he doesn't need to be carried- which is a good thing because Zak is a bit chubby. We will be introducing him to a weight management diet to help him shed those extra pounds. Not over-feeding him will be crucial during this time as he won't be exercising. Lastly, to ensure Zack's success, he will need to start physiotherapy shortly. We are already pinning down a good physiotherapist for our little tail-wagger. Yes, believe it or not, Zak's tail never stops wagging.

We want to thank Dr. Dominique Paquette of DMV Hospital in Montreal for her outstanding care. We thank Melissa and Tanya of Sit With Me Rescue for providing Zak's transport from Ottawa to Montreal and back again. And we thank Odie's mom Tracy, for offering Zak a lovely B & B stay in Ottawa since Sunday while we sort out his long-term foster home. And guess where that will be?! Zak will be sharing a love nest with our very own Miracle Beagle - Duke! Our special thanks to Karen & Bob for offering to take on Zak's long-term rehab care. He'll be heading to his foster home this weekend!

Last but not least - we want to thank all of YOU for your incredible support! The donations that are coming in for Zak will help us cover his medical expenses - from the CT Scan to physiotherapy sessions - it will make such a difference for us and for Zak.

It will make such a difference for Hope too. Because for every donation made to Zak, the cost of saving Hope once again is that much more manageable.

On January 20, 2015, little 4-year-old Zack was hit by a car when he decided to run across the street to greet a neighbour. Lying on the side of the road in pain and in shock, he suddenly ran away just as his frantic owner was rushing towards him. Hours later, he was picked up by the Ottawa Humane Society. Xrays revealed the high probability that Zack sustained a serious spinal injury. Without a CT Scan or MRI, there is no way of knowing the extent of the damage but the medical costs to run the necessary diagnostics and proceed with surgery would be in the thousands. Sadly, Zack's owner could not afford the expense and surrendered him to the shelter.

Clearly, Zack needs extensive medical care and a peaceful environment to recover after whatever surgery is required.

The shelter staff contacted us and we immediately swung into action. But this hasn't been easy. We're currently facing two other medical emergencies. An ultrasound at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic earlier this week for palliative care beagle, Hope, has revealed a tumour on her adrenal gland. There is a 50% chance it's malignant. She needs surgery to remove it. The estimated cost is $4-5K. Practically at the same time, palliative care beagle, Jude, was rushed to the vet's to discover that his Perineal Hernia has returned. He needs another surgery of approximately $3K to correct it, but chest x-rays reveal his heart has enlarged since his last surgery and so we've had to add more heart medication to his daily intake and get that under control before we can consider this necessary operation. Needless to say, we're overwhelmed. But here is this young beagle in need of a happy future. We've got to take a financial risk and save this little boy.

As I prepared a special campaign on Jan 29th via our Canada Helps page, little Zack was on his way to Montreal to see a neurologist. Upon arrival, he was carefully assessed, underwent a CT Scan with possible surgery to follow. We are all very hopeful he will be okay. The estimated medical costs at this point are in the range of $4-5K. Needless to say, this will take a tremendous toll on our funding. So we are reaching out to you, our friends, to help us help Zack.

We want to thank you for your ongoing support. We also want to thank the staff at the Ottawa Humane Society for contacting us about Zack and for keeping him comfortable with pain medication until they were able to secure private rescue for him. Last but not least, we thank the incredibly generous team at Sit With Me Rescue in Ottawa. Without hesitation, they offered to transport Zack to Montreal on our behalf. They also coordinated the arrangements with the neurologist. We are more than grateful for this kindness.