BAy lee's Story
By Jahnette & Scott Wilson
When we first laid eyes on Bay Lee in South Carolina in January of 2011, she was sliding down a snow covered hill with her brothers and sisters. She came over to us and we knew she belonged to us. Of note, her lineage is pretty impressive as her grandpa, grandma, dad, and mom won many show awards back in their day. That said, we never went the show route, but Bay Lee was the best bird dog, and best fishing buddy you could ever want. She has always had the sweetest personality with a serving mentality. She wants nothing more than to make you happy. She is shy when you meet her, but show her some love and she is your friend for life. She has always been high energy, and eager to play and romp. Her jumps off the pier to go swimming were legendary. She has always loved the beach, and will play for hours in the sand… only stopping long enough to chase her bumper in the ocean. When she was a puppy, she did the “Destroykin” thing, chewing up a few shoes, ate a hat, and literally ate every bed we bought her. Thankfully, she grew out of all of that!!! For ten years, she was strong and resilient… and brought so much joy to us.
Our lives were forever changed beginning in November 2021 when we noticed Bay Lee having some issues with her back right leg as she was limping a bit. We took her to the vet and was told that she had arthritis. She was prescribed an anti-inflammatory. In December things went from bad to worse. She was knuckling her right paw and walking on top of it. Additionally, she was crossing her back legs and falling. We took her back to the vet. It was at that point that our vet told us that our sweet Bay had a presumptive diagnosis of Degenerative Myelopathy (DM). We were devastated. DM is cruel degenerative disease with no cure. In just 1 month, Bay could not walk. The fast progression of the disease was terrifying. We did everything we could to help her. We bought her a wheelchair. We put runners down throughout the house to keep her from slipping on the tile floor. We bought non-slip socks and shoes for her to wear. We read everything we could about DM, and joined every DM support group we could find in an effort to support her. We even started an Instagram account for Bay just to have a place to post her pictures and videos.
Teresa Bell and Tim Cline from the Boykinivdd.com group played a huge role in what happened next. At the end of January, Teresa reached out to us through direct messaging on Instagram and asked if we were sure Bay Lee had DM. That question began a conversation for which we will forever be grateful. Tim Cline reached out the next morning, and was able to answer so many of our questions. The answer to the Teresa’s original question was “no” as the diagnosis is presumptive, at best. Long story, short, we managed to get Bay in to see a neurologist at Gulf Coast Veterinary Hospital in Houston the very next week, and had an MRI done. The results came back with an Invertebrate Disc Disease (IVDD) diagnosis. According to the MRI, Bay had severe arthritis. Additionally, there were multiple disc ruptures noted at T13-L1, L1-2, L3-4, L5-6, L6-7, and L7-S1. She had moderate disc space collapse and spondylosis deformans at L7-S1. We were sent home with Gabapentin, Carprofren, and Prednisone to await the results from a urinalysis and urine culture. Within one day of taking prednisone following the MRI, Bay Lee was not crossing her legs anymore, and she was trying to stand. The urinalysis came back clear with no infection. At that point, Dr. Sessums, our neurologist, felt that Bay was a prime candidate for back surgery. We took a deep breath, and said, “Do it.” Did we mention that we had no pet insurance? We immediately applied for Care Credit, and one week later, Bay Lee had back surgery. She was in surgery for about 3 hours. During the surgery, much of the chronic compressive herniated disc at T-13-L1 was removed. The goal of the surgery was to prevent progressive weakness to the point of paralysis and incontinence.
Teresa Bell and Tim Cline from the Boykinivdd.com group played a huge role in what happened next. At the end of January, Teresa reached out to us through direct messaging on Instagram and asked if we were sure Bay Lee had DM. That question began a conversation for which we will forever be grateful. Tim Cline reached out the next morning, and was able to answer so many of our questions. The answer to the Teresa’s original question was “no” as the diagnosis is presumptive, at best. Long story, short, we managed to get Bay in to see a neurologist at Gulf Coast Veterinary Hospital in Houston the very next week, and had an MRI done. The results came back with an Invertebrate Disc Disease (IVDD) diagnosis. According to the MRI, Bay had severe arthritis. Additionally, there were multiple disc ruptures noted at T13-L1, L1-2, L3-4, L5-6, L6-7, and L7-S1. She had moderate disc space collapse and spondylosis deformans at L7-S1. We were sent home with Gabapentin, Carprofren, and Prednisone to await the results from a urinalysis and urine culture. Within one day of taking prednisone following the MRI, Bay Lee was not crossing her legs anymore, and she was trying to stand. The urinalysis came back clear with no infection. At that point, Dr. Sessums, our neurologist, felt that Bay was a prime candidate for back surgery. We took a deep breath, and said, “Do it.” Did we mention that we had no pet insurance? We immediately applied for Care Credit, and one week later, Bay Lee had back surgery. She was in surgery for about 3 hours. During the surgery, much of the chronic compressive herniated disc at T-13-L1 was removed. The goal of the surgery was to prevent progressive weakness to the point of paralysis and incontinence.
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After surgery was when the journey of healing and recovery truly began. We set up a recovery suite in our living room where Bay would spend the next month or so on strict bed rest. We had bought a Help Em Up Harness to support her when we had to take her outside to potty. Following surgery, Bay Lee had retained motor function in both of her hind limbs, but required support. Two weeks post op, Bay could walk…with help… and very little knuckling. We were fortunate in that she always maintained bladder control and was never in excruciating pain, like many stories that we have read and heard.
Bay Lee attended physical therapy and had laser treatments and did hydrotherapy for several months. She went from only being able to do the water treadmill for 5 minutes to 35 minutes without stopping. This allowed her to build back stamina and lost muscle. She “graduated” from PT in May. She also had several acupuncture sessions.
Bay Lee attended physical therapy and had laser treatments and did hydrotherapy for several months. She went from only being able to do the water treadmill for 5 minutes to 35 minutes without stopping. This allowed her to build back stamina and lost muscle. She “graduated” from PT in May. She also had several acupuncture sessions.
We are now six months post-op. Bay Lee has come a long way, and her prognosis continues to be positive. She has bad days and she has great days. On the bad days, she is stiff and has issues walking. She sits down, and her back right leg flies up. When she is pottying, the leg thumps the ground uncontrollably. Some of this is the arthritis… and some of it is the IVDD as she still has several disc protrusions in her spine. On the great days, she is able to walk quite normally and is her energetic self.
We have met so many wonderful people along the journey. We will forever be grateful to Teresa Bell and Tim Cline, along with our neurologist, Dr. Sessums and the rehabilitation team at Gulf Coast Veterinary Hospital. Also, we would be remiss if we did not mention Tannette Eyres and Eli, her sweet Boykin. The two have been some of our greatest supporters and a shoulder to lean on through some of Bay’s darkest days. A host of others in Boykin Nation and beyond who have reached out have been inspirational, and continue to be so even now… Scout, Maize, Little Michael on Wheels, and so many more. We could never have made it where we are without all of these amazing individuals that have been placed in our lives.
Our story is by no means done, but for now, we have a happy ending. We are so proud of her and how hard she has worked to get to where she is today. We use her wheels when we go to the beach or for long walks and hikes. The wheels offer support for her back legs so that doesn’t tire out too quickly. Her harness has the leash attached in the middle of her back for support. We use lick-a-mats and other such toys to give her an outlet for some of that Boykin energy. We also go on walks multiple times a day. We still go to the beach, and she still loves to dig and play in the surf. She goes swimming in the lake near our home. Life with Bay Lee has definitely changed, but we still have our brave Girlkin… and she still her sweet, shy, happy, energetic self. Every day is a new day. We learn more about coping with IVDD each day that passes, and we are grateful for new mercies and grace that have seemingly multiplied in our lives. We thank God every day for one more day with our sweet Bay Bay girl, and for her healing and recovery.
We have met so many wonderful people along the journey. We will forever be grateful to Teresa Bell and Tim Cline, along with our neurologist, Dr. Sessums and the rehabilitation team at Gulf Coast Veterinary Hospital. Also, we would be remiss if we did not mention Tannette Eyres and Eli, her sweet Boykin. The two have been some of our greatest supporters and a shoulder to lean on through some of Bay’s darkest days. A host of others in Boykin Nation and beyond who have reached out have been inspirational, and continue to be so even now… Scout, Maize, Little Michael on Wheels, and so many more. We could never have made it where we are without all of these amazing individuals that have been placed in our lives.
Our story is by no means done, but for now, we have a happy ending. We are so proud of her and how hard she has worked to get to where she is today. We use her wheels when we go to the beach or for long walks and hikes. The wheels offer support for her back legs so that doesn’t tire out too quickly. Her harness has the leash attached in the middle of her back for support. We use lick-a-mats and other such toys to give her an outlet for some of that Boykin energy. We also go on walks multiple times a day. We still go to the beach, and she still loves to dig and play in the surf. She goes swimming in the lake near our home. Life with Bay Lee has definitely changed, but we still have our brave Girlkin… and she still her sweet, shy, happy, energetic self. Every day is a new day. We learn more about coping with IVDD each day that passes, and we are grateful for new mercies and grace that have seemingly multiplied in our lives. We thank God every day for one more day with our sweet Bay Bay girl, and for her healing and recovery.
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