Daisy Battles Severe Valley Fever
Daisy’s story is heart-wrenching and difficult to read, but also full of love and hope. She is a true testament to the incredible will to thrive and capacity to forgive that all pets have.
Found on her side in a ditch, extremely emaciated and unable to move on her own, Daisy was saved by a Pima Animal Care Center Animal Protection Officer who rushed her to the shelter clinic.
The vet team discovered that Daisy has severe valley fever affecting almost every joint and several spots along her spinal cord including a very painful lesion at the base of her skull. Daisy needs special, weekly IV-administered medication for Valley Fever and thanks to donations we were able to get an expert consultation from Dr. Shubitz of the University of Arizona’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence.
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When she first came to the clinic there were serious discussions around her quality of life that continue to this day, but thankfully she has improved a lot under the shelter’s intensive care. She started wagging her tail about 2 months into her recovery and has not stopped since!
After a month of physical therapy, she started urinating on her own and moving her back legs a little bit. An experienced foster has been caring for her for four months now and although she is still in lateral recumbency (she can only lie on her side without help from a person or her cart) she is doing MUCH better. She can now move all four limbs and has quite a bit of movement in her rear limbs. A little over a month ago she started going to A Loyal Companion for therapy and her foster, with the help of PACC volunteers, raised funds to get Daisy a custom wheelchair.
Daisy’s cart is a special type of wheelchair called a quad, which means it has 4 wheels and fully supports her body. Walkin' Wheels donated the custom-made head bar that supports her head and neck!
The volunteers at PACC have been instrumental in her recovery, whether bringing her outside while her foster is working in the clinic or contributing to her medical fund. She is now going to A Loyal Companion once a week for physical therapy and will start swimming soon! Daisy is a clinic favorite. She loves going to work with her foster mom and you can find her in the back office giving love to everyone she meets. She has plenty of work buddies, people and animals alike. At home she lounges on the couch, plays with toys in her wheelchair, and cuddles with her foster kittens nonstop.
Friends of PACC donations recently sponsored a consult with Dr. Shubitz from the University of Arizona’s Valley Fever Center for Excellence. Dr. Shubitz had some great insights into her care including a change to her medications so her pain is better. She will soon start on a steroid which will hopefully reduce the swelling in her spinal cord and help her walk more easily.
It’s only with donation that Friends of PACC has also paid for the Ablecet (an IV valley fever medication) that is helping get Daisy’s painful lesions under control. Since she has been on the treatment her lesions have reduced by half! Daisy’s prognosis is still guarded and she will most likely never be able to move without her wheelchair. The goal is to get her pain free and able to independently move around in her cart, which we are hopeful for but could take up to a year to achieve.
“Even though Daisy has had so many challenges she is a very happy pup and has a great outlook on life. She loves her monthly bark boxes, meeting new friends, and endlessly teasing my personal pup. She loves life and has made people all over the globe smile!” said her foster mom who runs a popular Instagram page featuring the very lovable Daisy at instagram.com/chupieandfriends.