(Thank you to Jim Bergamo and KVUE news for the story tonight and helping us raise all of the funds needed for Lyle. If you'd like to contribute, we have another dog, Pokey, who also cannot walk and is in need of extensive physical therapy.)
Lyle, a 4-month-old Labrador retriever mix, was pulled by APA! from the euthanasia list at Town Lake Animal Center in early September. Picked up by Austin Animal Control in a field with unexplained paralysis and nearly no appetite, Lyle's chances for survival as a normal, happy and healthy dog looked slim, but APA! knew he deserved a chance at life.
After spending nearly a month in the APA! foster program and seeing APA! medical staff regularly, Lyle slowly gained weight and seemed to be slightly improving by being able to move his head around. He was diagnosed with polyradiculoneuritis, which is thought to be the same condition of coonhound paralysis. Since we have no history on Lyle prior to when he was found in the field, we have no idea if he came into contact with a raccoon. However, the condition has also been reported to occur very rarely after vaccines. We think this could be the case with Lyle, as he is in the right age group to have been received his first vaccines from his previous owner. At this stage, we have treated for all the symptoms that we can, and have essentially diagnosed Lyle by excluding all other diseases that we can (and did) test for.
To aid in Lyle's recovery, we are scheduling regular therapy sessions at Canine Sports Rehab, who is giving us a generous deal on Lyle's appointments. With a combination of hydrotherapy and massage, Lyle already seems to be showing steady improvement. Despite his hard life, this little puppy sure is a fighter!
APA! needs to raise at least $1,500 for Lyle's ongoing therapy and recovery. It will be a slow and steady process, but we're so thrilled to see him improving and hope that someday he will be able to run and play just like a normal Lab.
