Daisy, a 1-year-old female spayed pit bull/basset hound mix, was recently surrendered to the Yolo County SPCA after her owners suspected she had become paralyzed. Ashley Carr, a staff member at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and SPCA volunteer, noticed that Daisy was still able to wag her tail – which would indicate that she wasn’t completely paralyzed. Carr contacted the VMTH's Neurology and Neurosurgery Service, to see if there was anything UC Davis could do to help Daisy.

Once at UC Davis, Daisy was given an in-depth physical examination by Drs. Peter Dickinson and Jessica Rivera for further evaluation of her inability to walk. Daisy’s spinal x-rays showed evidence of an old vertebral fracture, and an MRI and blood and urine cultures found changes suggestive of an infectious process in the region of the old fracture site. Without doing these tests, Drs. Dickinson and Rivera would not have been able to diagnose Daisy’s medical problem, and Daisy most likely would have died from the infection.

To treat the infection, Daisy was given a lengthy regiment of antibiotics. Within just a few days of Daisy’s first dose of antibiotics, Carr—who is now fostering Daisy—reported that she was trying to walk. After a week, she was walking. Now after a month of antibiotics, Daisy is running around like her old self. She will require follow up x-rays and remain on antibiotics for at least 3-4 months to completely clear the infection. It is expected that Daisy will make a full recovery.

Daisy is in need of a permanent home. If you’d like to adopt her, please contact the Yolo SPCA at www.yolospca.org.