Riggins – Boise, ID

ESRA Special Needs Springer

ESRA #2010-1185 ID
Age:5 years
Gender: Male
Color: Liver and White

Riggins is an owner surrender whose family really struggled with the decision to give him up. He was part of their family since he was a puppy, and now at the young age of five years old, the family dynamic had changed and the family thought it was in the best interest of Riggins to find him a great new home. Riggins left behind a mom, dad, and three small children.

Boise, Idaho is a an area in ESRA's jurisdiction without many volunteers. Riggins waited three long weeks due to weather conditions to be transported into foster care. During that time, Riggins needed to be boarded. Due to the stress of his new living conditions, and what was soon to be learned as a medical problem, his appetite had decreased and his activity level soon followed. That is when the red flags started to rise. We checked him out thoroughly and found that he had problems getting up from a lying down position.

At first we thought it was early onset hip dysplasia or a possible knee injury. X-rays were taken and it was clear that both hips and knees were fine. His primary veterinarian sent the X-rays immediately to a specialist who called and wanted to meet Riggins.

Riggins was observed for the day by the specialist. He reviewed the X-rays and even took more at no cost to ESRA. They determined that Riggins is increasingly sensitive at one area of his spine. He has decreased feeling in his rear legs and is in extreme pain. The doctors believe that he has a vertebral disc disease lesion or small compartmentalized clot in his spine.

At this point, the recommendation is a CT myelogram or MRI, plus possible surgery. This could relieve pressure on the spinal cord, relieve pain, and allow him to have more mobility in his hind quarters. Much of this depends on the actual diagnosis which won't be discovered until the myelogram has been performed. We are hopeful that it will show a reparable condition and Riggins can have surgery to correct the condition. His recovery may be long, but some dogs do recover fairly quickly from spinal procedures. He will be in very good hands through his recovery period with some of ESRA's finest caregivers. Quotes from various vets and specialists have been obtained, and while they do vary in price, the cost to assist Riggins will be very expensive.

We have tried many pain-relieving options for Riggins. He has found little relief from normal pain management techniques; therefore, we have put him on a Fentanyl patch which will deliver an even dose of pain medication through his skin. Even with his immense pain, Riggins is a sweet as can be and constantly offers kisses to his caregivers. He spends most of his days resting on a dog pillow confined so that he will not over stimulate himself.

Please consider a donation toward Riggins' care. Your generosity can make the difference to this boy between a life of pain and suffering or the life that so many ESRA Springers have come to know and appreciate … because of you!

12/18/10 UPDATE: Riggins' scan and surgery will take place on December 21, 2010. We are confident he will be in good hands. His foster mom, who works with the local school district, will be off work for the first two weeks of his recovery to ensure his every need is taken care of. The great staff at the local vet clinic will sedate him for the three hour trip to the surgeon and his surgeon was voted Idaho's #1 vet for 2010.

It is only through the combined efforts of the medical staff, ESRA volunteers, and generous sponsors that we can provide this top-notch care to Riggins. We are grateful for the efforts of "Team Riggins" and hope Riggins will have a great holiday season once his condition has been addressed.

Watch for photos soon!

12/21/10 UPDATE: Good News!!! Riggins has had his myelogram. His diagnosis is Degenerative Lumbosacral Stenosis. Basically, the area of that spinal disc has narrowed pushing his disc into his spinal cord and nerves. This is what causes his pain and decreased sensation. The prognosis for this condition is good, 69 to 94 percent of all patients recover with medical intervention.

There is both a medical and surgical intervention for this syndrome. In the true meaning of "First do no harm," we are going to try medical intervention as the beginning step although sometimes this syndrome requires both medical and surgical intervention. Committed to doing what is best, we are following the professional opinion of his vet and trying the medical intervention first. If medical intervention is not enough, then through the generous sponsors for Riggins, we will proceed with the surgical option.

For the next four to six weeks, Riggins will be on modified bed rest. He will be give corticosteroid anti-inflammatories and be allowed to walk on leash only. During this time, we will monitor him very closely for signs that the medical intervention is not working. If and when that happens, we will proceed with the surgical options available. But for now, things are looking bright for Riggins and we know he is in the best of hands

A special Thank You to Dr. Randy Akers for all his help in treating Riggins. More to follow soon.

12/22/10 UPDATE: Unfortunately a setback to report! Riggins had a setback last night. After traveling three hours to get him home after his procedure, he had two seizures within an hour. He lost all control of his back legs and body functions. His foster mom rushed him to the emergency vets and they put him on meds right away for the seizures. By this morning he was doing better however his right leg is dragging and the paw is turned under. Dr. McKowen and Dr. Ackers prescribe keeping him quiet and have put him on predasone and pain meds to see if he can regain use of his leg.

The testing done yesterday might have caused this problem. If it is determined that was not the cause, he will go back and have surgery. For now we are taking each day as it comes.

NEW YEAR'S GOOD NEWS UPDATE FOR RIGGINS: On December 28, 2010, Riggins had an MRI, donated by West Vet Animal Hospital. This scan was designed to give a better look at both the muscles, nerves, and fluids. We did not want to perform surgery on him until we had a complete picture of what was going on in that area. We were surprised to find that, although Riggins does have Degenerative Lumbosacral Stenosis (narrowing of the area where the disc sits) in that area of his spine, after weeks on anti-inflammatories the nerve root is not affected by it. Medicine in dogs is much like medicine in people, all the tests must be run to get a complete picture and sometimes what you think requires spinal surgery actually requires hip surgery once all the tests are in. This is good news for Riggins — spinal surgery comes with many more risks than hip surgery.

The doctors performed a full exam while he was under anesthesia for the MRI. They found that Riggin's right hip fluidly pulls out of socket without any resistance. It would do the same thing while walking which would surely put pressure on the spine as the hip would move in and out of socket. This is the problem that was causing all of his inflammation and pain.

On December 31, 2010, to alleviate this hip problem, Riggins underwent a new procedure much like the total hip replacement humans obtain. His new titanium hip was donated by the manufacturer and the surgery was performed. He will undergo leash walks for four weeks, begin physical therapy at about the six week mark, and will see the doctor every two weeks for a while.

Already by January 4, 2011, Riggins has a new outlook on life. He puts weight on his leg about every third step. He is on strict kennel rest for another week, then he can begin to go on short leash walks. The prognosis is great that he will someday graduate from our Special Needs Program and get adopted. Happy New Year, Riggins!

1/12/11 UPDATE: Riggins got his staples out today. The vet says he looks great for being only a couple of weeks from his total hip replacement. He puts pressure on his leg and we will soon know just how much pressure his putting on that leg. They have a really cool contraption that Riggins was walked on before surgery. It measures pressure and as the dog takes a step it comes up with a reading. In another week or two, we will have Riggins walk on the pressure plate again and see if he is increasing the amount of pressure he puts on that leg. We expect to see a difference. Riggins will do this at four and six weeks post op as well. At six weeks, Riggins will begin the physical therapy on his leg. This will help him strengthen his muscles that have weakened due to pain.

We love all of our generous sponsors who have donated to Riggins and appreciate all the positive thoughts. Please watch for updated pictures. He is eating great and looking wonderful.

1/26/11 UPDATE: Although he has considerable muscle atrophy in his rear end due to his condition, Riggins is doing much better than expected initially and will get to start traditional physical therapy — muscle stretching, massage therapy, and increasing physical exercise — a full two weeks early.

Hydro-therapy — the use of water resistence under controlled conditions to strengthen muscles without putting pressure on joints — is not currently included in the plan although the vets at West Vet believe that this therapy would further help Riggins in his recovery. To add hydro-therapy, we would need to raise additional funds because, even with our 20 percent rescue discount, it is still hundreds of dollars for the 4 to 8 sessions he would need.

This boy has made miraculous progress, and is responding exceptionally well to his new hip. We hope we can raise the additional funds for Riggins to be able to provide hydro-therapy so that he can be a Special Needs Graduate soon! We are so proud of him, thankful for all his sponsors and are looking forward to his graduation once his recovery is complete.

2/13/11 UPDATE: Riggin's doctor visit most recently went well. He is doing as well as possible during this stage of his recovery. He is very tender at the spots where the screws were inserted, but we are monitoring it very closely. We will wait and see how he does over the next 30 days.

Riggins doesn't have a lot of muscle tone in his hip due to his inactivity prior to surgery, but we are working on it. He is now going to hydrotherapy once a week as generous sponsors donated enough money for four visits. He has three more visits left and we are hoping that we can get more donated.

Although his first hydrotherapy went very well, he was worn out after and had some discomfort; but we are told it is normal during initial physical therapy. The doctor has extended his walks on leash so he is able to go greater distances.

He has not been on the pressure plate (a plate that measures how much down force he is putting on his hip) yet to see how much more pressure he is putting on his hip, but he will get that done at the next visit. We already see changes in how he is walking.

Riggins' diet is going well and he continues to lose weight. We did have to switch his food as he is sensitive to oats and wheat products.

Full recovery is still a while down the road, but he is making steady progress. We are confident that he will be a full-functioning dog once he has recovered completely.

3/9/11 UPDATE: Riggins is having a hard time lately with increased activity. The pins put in his hip to add stability are causing some pain when he walks. He can only go for short walks and then he has to come home and rest. We are trying to keep the pins in for at least 6-8 weeks after his surgery to make sure the bones are well on their way to healing before they are removed. We have decided to stop Hydrotherapy at this time in order for the inflammation in his leg to get out. We hope that when he goes for his visit next week that they will let us start Hydro up again.

We want Riggins to be as healthy and happy as possible when we find a Forever Home for him. We have not given up, but like all orthopedic surgeries, there are usually setbacks during the physical therapy portion. We still have faith in his full recovery as we are sure that his supporters are sending positive thoughts.

3/29/11 UPDATE: Riggins went in for his water therapy yesterday but it didn't go so well. It was apparently very painful — he wouldn't stand on one side when they lifted his legs up. Once back home, he was so worn out he wouldn't eat his supper. He woke up at 1:00 am crying in pain but with pain meds he settled back down after a couple of hours. He was able to eat breakfast this morning so hopefully today will be a brighter day for him.

Routine walks at home are short ones — he can't walk more than a block before the pain hits and we turn back. At home he finds a favorite comfy spot and just lays there. There's a long road ahead for him but, unless he is going through a painful bout, he still shows a lot of spunk and will. He has had a rough few months but way down deep he is still a very good natured boy.

His next therapy session is Monday but the therapist suggests no more appointments until he sees the vet, Dr. Browerman, on April 17. At that time, we will see when—or if—they are going to take the screws out or what our next step will be. With or without the screws, he will need to continue with physical therapy so we can't tell Riggins his "long road" is coming to an end quite yet. Let's all help to keep his spirits high with promises of better days ahead! And send thanks to his caregivers whose faith in him has never wavered!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special Needs dogs and their Special Foster Homes Those of you who follow the many stories of ESRA's Special Needs dogs probably remember our 2009 graduate Alfalfa in Idaho. Alfie suffered from hard-to-diagnose and difficult-to-control gastrointestinal issues — which included a malfunctioning sphincter and bacterial infections — severe arthritis and seizure-like anxiety behaviors. His Foster Mom spent countless sleepless nights with him and was so devoted to his care and dedicated to making sure that he found the perfect Forever Home that he indeed found the perfect home right where he was! ESRA volunteer Sharleen Smith was his angel then and is his Forever Mom today.

Undaunted by the unique care and extra attention that Special Needs dog require, Sharleen also stepped up in mid-November 2010 to foster Riggins. His road to recovery is proving to be another lengthy one, but Sharleen once again has proved to be a patient, devoted caregiver. Riggins is in very good hands and he enjoys the extra good fortune of spending his days comforted by his "been there, done that" foster brother Alfalfa!

ESRA has a nationwide network of excellent foster homes — and of course the door is always open for new ones — we applaud them all and add an extra hand clapping for Sharleen Smith and all she has done for these two handsome boys who have needed "special handling!"

4/18/11 UPDATE: Riggins went into surgery on April 8 to remove the pins in his hip. Surgery began around 4:00 PM and wasn't completed until 8:00 PM. As soon as Dr. Browerman began the procedure, he realized it would be more complicated than expected. Scar tissue had grown around the implants (screws) and also around the sciatic nerve. It took four hours to remove the scar tissue all the while hoping to do no damage to any of the nerves. The surgery was more expensive than anticipated due to the complexity. Also Riggins had a rough time coming out of the surgery so he stayed at the vet for one more day for observation. We thank Riggins' sponsors for help with these expenses!

By Friday, April 15, Riggins seemed to still have significant pain but fortunately Dr. Browerman does not think there is any nerve damage. He improves a little each day. Pain medicines seem to help and he doesn't whine like he used to before the pins were removed. He can still only go on short walks and it will be a month or more before he can go back to water therapy. Riggins and his foster mom are taking things one day at a time but feel that the day will come when he doesn't hurt any more!

5/23/11 UPDATE: Dr. Browerman is pleased with Riggins' progress. His hip is recovering well from the surgery. Riggins' pain is controlled well by medication. He can now walk two blocks each way with his foster mom Sharleen. Dr. Browerman feels that Riggins will be able to get a home soon, because he should not need any other procedures right now — just tender care and light exercise.

We are so grateful to the many donors who helped Riggins with his earlier surgeries.

7/11/11 UPDATE: RIGGINS IS READY FOR HIS FOREVER HOME!

Riggins' condition has improved so much that we feel he is now ready to graduate from the Special Needs Program and find a home of his own! This boy has gone through so much to control his pain that the ESRA volunteers will be looking for a very specific family to take care of him. Here is our "Wish List" for Riggins:

  1. A family that is not too active but does go for regular walks. He isn't going to be a good running companion because of his hips, so no joggers.
  2. A family that is going to keep him on his meds and on a special diet and be proud these efforts are keeping him pain free.
  3. A family that will always promise to keep Riggins an inside dog — he likes to bask in the sun for periods of time, but he won't be able to be left out in the cold or we are right back to square one.
  4. A family that likes a velcro dog as he likes to be by your side at all times.
  5. A family that wants him to be a part of the Family not just a dog.
Riggins is a special dog and his family will need to be special too.

7/18/11 A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM RIGGINS:

As most of you folks know, I have been in the Special Needs program for a while. Thanks to all who donated, I got my new hip and it is great. I am on meds and special food, and it is very important that I am kept on both of these so you'll notice on my "wish list" my new family will have to promise to keep me on them. My new problem is that I have three lipomas that will need to be removed and even though they bother me at times I can still snuggle, love and yes, lick up a storm. I love laying beside you and just enjoying snuggle time.

I want all potential adopters to know that even though I do have a few problems, I have a lot of years left and I will make you a great companion. My foster family thinks I am spoiled, but they forgot that they're the ones who made me that way. But I am very obedient … just a great Springer looking for my Forever Home.

If you can deal with the problems I have, I am the boy for you.

Contact: Kathy Armstrong at lawkathy@hotmail.com if you want to hear more about Riggins.

CLICK HERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPONSOR RIGGINS

RIGGINS’ GENEROUS SPONSORS TO DATE:
Cathryne Slaughter In memory of our angel, Maggie Slaughter. We pray that you will soon run free and happy, Riggins.
Richard Weiss In hopes of helping one more Springer have a happy and healthy life.
Alisa Runyan In memory of Scooter whom we continue to miss even today.
Heidi Thomas-Dunn In honor of the volunteers who worked so hard to save this sweet boy.
Karl and Linda Lintz Riggins, you've touched many hearts already. May you find many happy and pain free days ahead.
Katherine Dulski In memory of Falkor and Zeus
The Blowers family In memory of many dogs we have loved and in honor of Karl and Linda Lintz for all they do for Springer rescue
Rene Pizzo In memory of Rex
Ray and Monica Smith Hope Riggins is feeling much better soon.
Steve and Susy Boettcher In memory of Nan Mishkin
Christy Camenisch In memory of Barney
Kathleen Hartford In memory of Jodie Sue, Emmy Rose, and Sophie Jean — my Springer babies so loved and so missed.
Meg Butler Get well soon, Riggins!
Michele Eschborn and Sharon Corrigan To honor our rescues Max and Sophie
Andrea R. Rea For the indomitable spirit of a Springer's unconditional love. Hang in there, Riggins.
Ronald Pelka A gift for Riggins — my heart goes out to him — from me and my lovely Springer, Holly. All Springers are God's gift of sunshine to our mortal lives.
Deb and Dick Thompson
Janet and Denny Burkenpas In memory of Mandy
Sandra Dvergsdal In memory of Mazzi — I miss you buddy
Cary Branthwaite In memory of Jack and Gus
Susy Boettcher For Riggins' hydrotherapy, in memory of Megan, Abby, Sady and Shadow
Michelle Eschborn and Sharon Corrigan To help provide hydro-therapy for Riggins
Paige Worthington To help Riggins
Rene Pizzo To help with Riggins hydrotherapy
Anita Howard In memory of Muggers and Jesse who both had hip problems
Bruce and Bernadetta Titus
Lindsay King and Mike Armstrong In memory of my best friend Boagie — hang in there, Riggins!
Anonymous God bless Riggins. Dogs are God's gift to us all. When all the world hates us, our dogs still love us. Hang in there, Riggins.
Melissa Morrison Our Springer, Caesar, asked us to help Riggins. (Thanks, Caesar!)
Wayne and Mary Gilbert In memory of Pesto and Jessica. Keep on steppin', Riggins. Pesto had similar situations and made it through.
Liz Bergman In memory of Darla, my sweet Springer
Willamette Valley English Springer Spaniel Association Rescue Fund
Janet and Denny Burkenpas In memory of Mandy

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL SPECIAL NEEDS SPRINGERS