Clover’s Story: A Fighter Then, A Fighter Now

Some of you may remember Clover. Clover came to us four years ago and we found she had issues right off the bat. And then two years ago, she and Tommy spent 12 days in the icu with canine influenza, aspiration pneumonia from being sick, and then she developed an antibiotic resistant bacterial infection in her lungs and needed to stay on oxygen for 10 days.

Clover is very special, not just to me, but to the rescue and our rescue family as a whole. She has remained under the care of the rescue due to her medical issues. While she has a mom and dad and a family, she has been the face and the heart on earth of our organization. Abby is the reason this organization began and gave me my life purpose, Clover has been the reason I have been able to continue this work in the face of all the devastation, heartbreak, frustration and exhaustion it brings with it.

On Wednesday, Clover went to Pittsburgh for an MRI and spinal tap.

She started having some stiffness after Christmas. We did X-rays and her hips are disastrous. We’ve known they were bad since she was about 6-8 weeks old. We knew eventually she would need surgery for them—either an FHO or total hip replacement.

She started some supplements, got some pain meds, and started a joint specific food in January. She was doing pretty well until about 2.5 weeks ago. Then she started falling. Having trouble getting up. Her back legs unable to support her squatting to use the bathroom. Crossing her back legs and her hips swaying when she walked.

I called her vet. Exactly two weeks ago I sent videos of her gait and issues. Last week we went in for more X-rays and evaluation and were referred to Dr Scoda, a board certified neurologist in Pittsburgh.

We went over everything it could be prior, I prepped myself for outcomes of degenerative disease, ruptured disks, IVDD, meningitis, another congenital disease, myasthenia gravis, degenerative myelopathy …. But I didn’t and wasn’t prepared for what they found.

Clover has a tumor around her spinal cord, between T11 & T12 vertebrae. Basically right in the middle of her spine. In the MRI photos below, the third photo shows normal spinal cord looking at it as though you sliced into a pumpkin roll. The fourth photo shows the area the tumor is compressing on her spine. The fifth photo is the tumor itself.

Her spinal tap didn’t provide much additional information, but the best guess currently is that it is malignant, and is a plaque meningioma.

So, what are our options?

We do palliative care and give her the best month-months we can possibly give her.

Or

We choose to fight. With surgery. With radiation.

This dog, is so much more than a dog to me. And she has been through more in her four short years of life than most see in a lifetime. She has been a magnet for every and any rare or out of the norm thing that can go on with one dog. Esophageal dysmotility. We get through one challenge and she says, “hold my cakes, we have another I can try.” Osteochondritis dessicans in her shoulder cartilage. Shoulder surgery to remove bone fragments from the diseased cartilage. Canine influenza that morphed into a bacterial resistant strain of pneumonia, a lung wash, that left her in critical intensive care on high flow oxygen for just shy of two weeks and had to come home on an antibiotic so strong for three months that I had to wear gloves to administer it. Luxating patellas. Severe hip dysplasia. And now this.

She has ALWAYS fought. Always. She has defied odds, she has surpassed expectations of everyone. She has shown that when given the opportunity to be a warrior, she steps up swinging and surprises us all.

And so, we have decided to let her fight once more. She is young. She is happy. She has a great appetite. She’s still sassy. It was caught early.

The neurologist believes it has been growing only a few weeks-a month.

She will be having spinal surgery within the next 1-2 weeks. She will heal from that and then beginn radiation therapy.  Her surgery is estimated at 5-6k. Radiation at 10k.

There is a chance surgery will result in a decline. But it’s fact that without surgery she absolutely will decline. The surgery is not curative. The plan is to remove as much of the tumor as possible, send for biopsy to get an exact histopatholgy, and then try to shrink the rest as much as possible to give her a few more years of sassiness and attitude at not getting everything she wants. Even with all of this, it may come back. Sooner rather than later, but also maybe later.

Clover has defied the odds time and time again. I’m hoping she has one more in her. And I’m hoping you will be here for support. She’s going to need her Crew.

So how can you help?

•Pray. She needs every single one.

•Follow her page Clover’s Crew

•Shop at Clovers Closet. We need to move some items to help cover cost of care

•Share and comment. Her page is monetized so every share, every like or love, every comment helps her raise money

•donate.

Venmo https://venmo.com/u/AbbysAngelsAnimalHaven

Cashapp https://cash.app/$AbbysAngelsAH

PayPal https://paypal.me/abbysangelsah?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

We’ll have other options soon as fundraisers but if you are able to donate anything at all, it is appreciated.

•you can get your own Clover merch

      https://www.bonfire.com/clover-crew/

      https://www.bonfire.com/clovercrew/

As for me, I’m upset of course, but I’m mostly angry. None of this girls life has been fair, has been easy, and I’m angry she has to go through one more hurdle and can’t just enjoy life going to the beach for a few days, eating pup cakes, and pup cups, and yelling at me every day. I’m angry that she is sooo special, and has been dealt so much crap.

But I’m thankful. That we have support. That we have the option and ability to pursue treatment. That she is still here. That I love her so much more than I could ever express that I will do whatever she needs me to do for always to make her comfortable, happy and make sure her quality of life is always taken into account. That she’s a sassy ball of fire who CAN overcome this. That I was blessed to have her come into my life and change it the way not many can. That she exists.

I will continue to update as things happen, are scheduled, and change. Daily on her page, but major updates too.

But what i want in return is for you to please forgo the “I’m sorry” and also any sad comments. I know it’s people trying to be compassionate, i know everyone is going to be sad. But what We truly need is for you to fight, to stand with us, to pray. Is it sad, yes? And no one’s life is more affected than mine over this. But we need strength. We need faith. We need to lift her up, and get through. We need an army to fight alongside.

We’re up for the challenge. I hope you can be too.