Zeb needs some help with Vets bills

I was helping at my friends all animal sanctuary called Hallswood and I met this little fellow who is an adorable bundle of fun who had an uncertain future.

He was sat on by his mum and was unable to walk until he was 5 weeks old but on just three days of pain relief he is full of life and off to the vets Monday to start a full course of treatment, he has a partially fused spine and his rib cage is flattened a bit but this little guy has such a lust for life and has come so far in a few days from being barely able to stand to running about in a rather wobbly fashion as his muscles in his legs get stronger. We are all just grateful to his owners for making the decision to sign him over so he can have a chance.

Zeb is now in a foster home and doing remarkably well, the vets trip will set a course of action of treatment for him which will be probably very expensive but with a no kill policy the sanctuary will do it's uppermost to give him everything he needs. His back and ribs are going to need a lot of work



but he is totally unphased by this and acts like any normal nine week old would he just needed someone to give him a chance. With an area flooded by unwanted staffys I am so happy this little chap found Hallswood who will give him every thing he needs.

Zeb is a staff x american bulldog and totally adorable


If anyone could help with a contribution towards his vets fees it would be greatly appreciated. Please PM me for details or e-mail vikki@guineapig-rehoming-norfolk.co.uk
and i can give you the details of Hallswood the sanctuary caring for Zeb.

Will do my best to make pics smaller photobucket not co-operating at the moment.

If any one could cross post to staffy forums I would really appreciate it.
Thank you

bump

Zeb has been to the vets for x-rays there are no apparent breaks in bones etc which indicated mum had an infection whilst carrying him causing birth defects and reports from his previous owner that mum had sat on him was not the cause of his problems.
He may need a specialist referral to newmarket to determine the best course of action for neurological problems and to assess him for hydrotherapy.
At present as he is just made that way nothing is going to be done to correct him skeletally as his growth plates seem fine and the spaces between his vertebre lok normal it is just his spine curves.
Still unable to walk very far and when he does walk it is like a drunk we will all do our best to put this little guy straight he will need a lot of therapy to help him learn to walk properly.

have you heard of swimmers syndrome it sounds like this is what he has had and if so nothing needs to be done the ribs have flattened due to the weight whilst he was unable to walk i have had a number of staffie puppies that have suffered this and who have gone on to recover well, spina bifida is also a possibility as is cerebellar ataxia, does he lift his front legs high when walking a little like a trotting horse?

i have lots of experience with neurological problems and currently have pickle a bulldog puppy who is severely ataxic feel free to pm me your number if you would like to chat

Not heard of swimmers syndrome will google it now. He does not lift his legs high at the front when he walks and is very strong in front but his back end is drunk when he walks and he seems to have little balanve although he has use of his rear legs and can wag his tail.
Will pm you my number thanks x

He is now nearly 14 weeks and from what I have read swimmers pups usually imrpove by 8 weeks? Unfortunatley zeb was not handed in to the sanctuary until he was 8-9 weeks and was being kept in a small kitchen on a slippery floor all that time he was just about standing at 5weeks apparently. He could barely walk three steps when the lady who runs the snactuary first saw him at 8 weeks old. The problem is from his chest back as his spine is curved although the spaces btween discs is ok but as his back is much higher over his back end he finds it hard to balance, a friend who does muscular therapy in dogs and horses is going to have a look at him once his second vacc kicks in then on to referrals all being well.

does the little boy have a home to go to yet??
I will send some funds to help him please pm me the address
elizabeth

Have pm'd the address emma hope you got it.
Little Zebs mobility is progressing but he still needs a lot of work on the strength in his back legs.

How is he doing?

Zeb made some improvement and was progressing well but as he grows he is again experiencing problems with his balance and is very wobbly again.
We all hope he will once again grow out of this bad phase but have my fingers firmly crossed.

Would this guy benifit from Hydrotherapy?
If so i have a great friend who owns her own centre and does me a favour now and again Only thing is it is in Cornwall but i would be happy to foster him as i live 5 mins away from the centre if you think it would benifit him
(i cant promise i wouldn't fail though lol)

He would but am on the case there is one half an hour from me I am getting back to to try and book him in there, I am currently fostering him for a sanctuary and he is legally thir so I can't make decisins regarding other placements plus as he is settled here he would not be moved unless it was for a permanent home, thanks for the offer though

We are currently trying to raise funds for a mobility cart for zeb which will cost approximately £180 and improve his quality of life greatly, the vet has advised on an MRI scan and CFS analysis to further research any neurological problems he may have which will cost in the region of £1,500.

He is quite ataxic at the moment and the sanctuary want to have an appointment with the senior vet to discuss the merits of a procedure like a spinal tap in a dog like Zeb although we will be sending him for the mri.

We are all doing our best for this guy and he has a heart as big as a whale it is only in the last few days that his ataxia has become worse and he had been making a steady improvement until then.

If you can do anyting to help towards his bill we would be very grateful the sanctuaries veterinary bill for this month alone was £2,500 and they are trying their very best for Zeb but cannot afford a cart for another couple of weeks until a big donation that is due in is received. Anything that can be done to help raise some money towards his cart and treatment would be greatfully received

can anyone help a little for Zeb?

Update on Zeb:
Thankfully the sanctuary received a large donation which covered Zebs costs so far and enabled them to buy a cart for him. Here are some pictures from todays walk


He can get quite a speed up now


Quite the local celebrity when he is out and about and a wonderful advert for Staffys such a sweet nature despite all the problems he has had.

How fab for him,,,

Seb would definately benefit from TTouch therpay, I am a practitioner but sadly am miles away near Bath. It would be worth while going to www.ttouchtteam.co.uk to find a practitioner near-by as they will often be willing to see rescue cases with no charge.

He does seem like a real fighter though bless him!!

Adam

oh my look at him poor fella he is soo beautiful

he looks great with his cart doesnt he

oh bless hi, he is a little fighter thats for sure

Zeb has reguler sessions with a massage/muscle therapist for dogs and horses who uses the ttouch technique luckily she is a friend at the livery yard so he gets them for free

Please can anyone help a little?

Is this an ongoing appeal?

Pm'd Lola

Elaine

Zeb is still receiving ongoing treatment for his legs and now has his cart thanks to the bikers raising some money for him but he will need support throughout his life. If you want tomove it out of the urgent section that is fine as it is not an urgent case perse as the initial major costs of his cart and exploritory treatment have now been met.