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Shelter Showcase

Eleanor “Ellie” Roosevelt Helped by Many

December 2, 2007 : 9:19 PM

Rapid improvement over past 24-72 hours!

Written by: Dr. Karen Dashfield and Beth Mersten

After being hit by a car on on the FDR Drive in New York City on Thanksgiving Eve, Eleanor "Ellie" Roosevelt is regaining some sensation and minimal voluntary movement in her hind legs! Dr. Karen reports a "huge difference" between yesterday and today. Read Ellie's exciting story of recovery!

Ellie at Rehabilitation Therapy at Canine Aquatics

Ellie works hard and happily during her rehabilitation therapy sessions provided by Cindy at Canine Aquatics and supervised by Dr. Karen Dashfield. During her second therapy session, held on Friday, November 30th, Ellie was introduced to an exercise ball allowing her back end to be supported in a normal position while putting her hind legs through normal sitting and standing movements. At first, she was unsure but she quickly relaxed as she happily accepted treats through the new procedure from her favorite friend, Dr. Karen.

Video of Ellie on the water treadmill

Video of Ellie at the end of her therapy session:

Ellie also did a wonderful job during her second session on the water treadmill and trotted along for 10 minutes with Cindy from Canine Aquatics, who kept her hind legs moving to help maintain muscle tone and "muscle memory" intact. Dr. Karen kept Ellie moving forward, by encouraging her to keep up the pace to reach her favorite doggy treats dangled at the front of the treadmill.

After the treadmill stopped, Ellie practiced sitting in the water (again for doggy treats!). The sitting in the water is important to encourage Ellie to use her back and abdominal muscles to push herself into a sit position against the resistance caused by her natural buoyancy in the water.

Ellie gave kisses to everyone who would come close enough to receive them during her therapy session and kept a close eye on anyone who leaves the room, looking truly pleased when they return. Ellie is definitely showing a strong preference for women, which makes us all wonder what happened to her while running loose in NY.

Ellie at Pequest Valley Kennels

Ellie is happily dragging herself around the Pequest Valley Kennel , even "helping" Dr. Karen get fresh bedding, food and water. We are happy to report that Ellie is no longer content to sit and wait for Dr. Karen, which is a great sign of Ellie feeling happier and more energetic. We know she will be flying around as soon as her “wheels” arrive! The cart has already been ordered by Shelter Showcase, and Ellie’s cart should arrive by the middle of December.

Ellie visits the dogs in neighboring runs, and shows no signs of aggression to them through the fencing. She is urinating readily with no assistance when taken out morning and night and placed in a squatting position, and defecating the same way. She loves going for long walks with her hind end supported in a sling. Ellie and Dr. Karen are really looking forward for Ellie’s cart to arrive, in order to give her much more freedom to explore without Dr. Karen needing to carry her hind end for her!

Ellie’s Rapid Medical Progress under the care of Dr. Karen Dashfield

Ellie has shown "rapid improvement" and "a huge difference" in the past 24 - 72 hours. Ellie started showing signs of regaining some sensation in her hind legs. In addition, Ellie definitely has the ability to withdraw both of her hind legs and is doing so quite briskly. This voluntary movement is an excellent sign of small, significant steps to recovery.

Ellie visited Dr. Zolton at Round Valley Veterinary Hospital today, where Dr. Zolten gave Ellie a big hug at the beginning of her exam. (Ellie was a really good girl receiving a hug from a strange man!) Dr. Zolten will attempt to put her dislocated hip back in place or perform a femoral head excision if needed.. Ellie will also undergo a myelogram test to confirm the exact nature of her spinal injury. Multiple x-rays have already been done, but this will provide information that x-rays can’t provide. Depending on the results of the myelogram, Dr. Zolton will make a recommendation as to whether back surgery will help Ellie. The total cost of these procedures will be $1,800 to $2,800 depending on exactly what they find. This will bring her total costs of care to approximately $5,000.

Initial exam by Dr. Zolten predicts that Ellie probably suffered spinal shock and won't require spinal surgery, but we'll know more later today!

Thank you from Shelter Showcase and Ellie to the following:

Dr. Karen Dashfield of Vet On Call Veterinary Housecalls in Sussex County, NJ for her daily care of Ellie

Eleventh Hour Rescue for committing to finding a home for Ellie and making this rescue possible

Pequest Valley Kennels in Andover, NJ for donating Ellie’s boarding

Canine Aquatics in Randolph, NJ for donating Ellie’s rehabilitation

Best Friends Animal Society and the Best Friends members for their generous financial grant

Neighborhood Cats for their generous financial support and guidance

Animal Medical Center, Fredon Animal Hospital and Dr. Zolten at Round Valley Animal Hospital for their discounted services for Ellie’s treatment

The generous donations to Ellie’s care. We are grateful for your help and we send your love directly to Ellie!!

How You Can Help

Please click the “Send this page to a friend” to share this story with friends and family. Ellie is a true miracle of the love of many people working together to make a difference in Ellie’s life and everyone she touches.

Please donate online to the Darcy’s Gift fund to support Ellie's care, or mail a donation to Shelter Showcase, PO Box 43204, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043. Shelter Showcase is a 501c3 non-profit, all volunteer organization, and 100% of your donation is tax-deductible and used directly to help the animals.

Ellie needs a special foster or adoptive home! Ellie doesn’t want to be left behind at the kennel and she’s looking forward to staying with someone full-time in a home. Ellie has special needs, so her new person needs to be prepared to provide this care. Ellie will be a truly loving and loyal companion to the right people who show her love (along with offering her a handful of her favorite doggy treats!) Please email beth@sheltershowcase.com for more information.

Click here for the original story about Ellie.

Comments

December 28, 2007 at 5:05 PM
posted by: elf

I always tear up reading these stories. what wonderful people there are out there. I hope Ellie finds the "north pole" a of home after such exposure!!!!

December 25, 2007 at 9:03 AM
posted by: kdashfield

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ELLIE

Ellie had a good therapy session yesterday, and is getting stronger with each session. She is loving long walks in her new cart.

Video and photos taken yesterday- and will be posted in a story update very soon.

Dr. Karen

December 19, 2007 at 10:09 PM
posted by: kathy_g

Oh my..what a visual! :-)
I agree Cattees...

December 19, 2007 at 10:04 PM
posted by: cattees

OMG - I love this dog! I hope you got a pic of Ellie doing her wheelie! Whee!

December 19, 2007 at 8:16 PM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi,
Ellie loves her new wheels. Thanks for a great job Eddie's Wheels. She is off and rolling, and as we hoped we were able to set the cart so that her feet and just touching without bearing much weight, and she is trying very hard to use her legs!! She alternates between a drag/ step method and a bunny hop method - but as both involve using her muscles thats fine by us.
She even pulled a wheely when we went out to the car, jumping up and putting her front feet up in the truck to be loaded up. (we had to have a little talk and convince her that there is just no room in the passenger seat for her with the wheels still attached!)
She also had a good session at Canine Aquatics spending 12 minutes in the water tread mill.

Pictures soon, I promise....

Dr. Karen

December 19, 2007 at 7:42 AM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi,
the cart we ordered from Eddie's Wheels should allow her legs to move normally, and we can gradually put more and more weight on her legs. (the reverse of what one would do with an older dog with progressive disease) By placing her legs in a normal position in the cart and encouraging them to move when she walks, we hope the cart will be a major part of her rehab...At the very least this will encourage her to build up "upper body" strength by being able to go for longer walks using her front legs.

A dog only uses a cart for a few hours a day at most, the rest of the time they are "scooting around" on their own, so even if she is lazy in the cart it will help and not hurt her rehab.

Heading out to pick her up for rehab and cart fitting. Will give an update tonight, and new pictures as soon as Beth from Shelter Showcase returns from her travels.

Dr. Karen

December 18, 2007 at 4:07 PM
posted by: rmlamasney25

Dr Karen, I was wondering about that....hoping that the cart doesn't encourage El to be lazy about using her legs...

December 18, 2007 at 6:55 AM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi,
Ellie's Cart has arrived! We will be fitting it to her at her Therapy Session on Wednesday and are hoping that we can set it so that she is encouraged to use her legs.
She had her first session back in the water treadmill yesterday and trotted away for about 12 minutes, still having Cindy move her hind legs for her.
She is routinely able to hold herself in a standing position for 60 seconds or a little more using her right hind leg, and is trying very hard to kind of "hop" on her left hind leg- though the really icy crust on the snow we have right now is making it very hard to move around much.
She rides wonderfully in the car and has been riding around in the passenger seat (securely seat belted in) for the full day on her therapy days while I see my other housecalls. (she hates to be in the back seat as it is too far away from me).
She is now sporting either a Harley Davidson Doggy T-shirt or a stylish Pink Hoody, both to keep her a little warmer in the kennel and to keep her from licking at her incision which is mostly healed.

New photos to follow soon.

Dr. Karen

December 17, 2007 at 10:12 AM
posted by: Valhala

Just got back from vacation. What fantastic news that Ellie is regaining some muscle use in those hind legs! And love the way you describe her rolling around and being silly, warms the heart to know she is feeling better, happy, and making progress. My thanks to all the wonderful folks helping Ellie and best wishes for you all, and our girl Ellie. If she could walk again, you are the miracle workers! Thank you!! Heres to hoping she walks and runs again!!

December 13, 2007 at 8:45 PM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi,
I am working on new video, but Beth from Shelter Showcase is currently in Utah at BF.... so will get her to come get new photos and video when she returns.
Todays update. She can stand for a minute when placed in a standing position and is using both her left and right legs to stand. She is occasionally trying to stand up using her left hind leg, but doesn't yet have the strength to do it. She has graduated from "swimming" with her left hind leg, to almost hopping on her left hind leg (though still in a seated position). Her right leg is still in the swimming phase.
When she is walking with her sling around her belly, she is starting to try to use her left leg to "walk" though she only tries this every 3 or four steps, with it still flipping upside down most the time.
Steady progress!!

Dr. Karen

December 13, 2007 at 8:01 PM
posted by: cattees

A wagging tail... proof that you can't keep a good dog down!

December 13, 2007 at 9:09 AM
posted by: rmlamasney25

Leave your leg alone, Eleanor!
Is there any chance of another video of our favorite girl? What a wonderful success....prayers for a walking Ellie! I love that her tail now fully wags!

December 12, 2007 at 3:47 PM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi,

.... today she is able to stay standing for 30 seconds if I keep her from tipping over (when placed in a standing position)and we are seeing the first signs of attempts to stand with her right hind leg.
She has a nice normal tail wag back and is a very happy girl.
She had a good rehab session at Canine Aquatics using electronic stimulation of the muscles in her right hind leg (though she was very full of herself today, wiggling, tail wagging and licking throughout the session). She is not back in the water yet as she keeps interfering with the healing of her skin incision from the surgery on her left hip. She will likely be back in the water on Monday.

Dr. Karen

December 12, 2007 at 11:10 AM
posted by: cattees

Whee! Go Ellie!

December 12, 2007 at 1:25 AM
posted by: kathy_g

What a great Christmas gift to us-watching her heal, and what an awesome Christmas gift to her-such wonderful professionals ensuring she gets the best care possible for her road to recovery.

December 11, 2007 at 8:19 PM
posted by: rmlamasney25

Oh, I can't tell you how happy that makes me! ...Fingers, toes & 16 paws crossed for Ellie. I am so glad Ellie was fortunate enough to be taken in by such wonderful people. Hurrah for Ellie's team!!

December 11, 2007 at 7:21 PM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi all,
Well Ellie doesn't want to wait until she gets back in the water to try to "swim". Tonight for the first time she is "swimming" strongly with her right hind leg !!(when it flips out behind her she quickly pulls it forward into an upright position) when she is dragging herself around in the grass. I believe I saw the same motion in the left leg, though she prefers to slide around on the left hip so it was harder to tell.
And..... she can now hold her weight up on her right leg for 5-10 seconds if I place her in a standing position and keep her from tipping sideways.....

Walking by Christmas?? could be possible! All fingers (and toes) are crossed.

Dr. Karen

December 10, 2007 at 10:55 AM
posted by: rmlamasney25

Ok Ellie, show the world that Jersey girls (you are now one by residency) are both determined and sweet! Swim for those treats! Belly rubs as therapy, I love it!

December 10, 2007 at 10:24 AM
posted by: kathy_g

What GREAT news, Dr Karen!
Talk about a fantastic Monday morning smile.

December 9, 2007 at 7:18 PM
posted by: kjboth51

It is a Hannukah miracle! Way to go! Mazel Tov, Ellie!

December 9, 2007 at 6:08 PM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi,
The weekend Ellie update....

She is now into wrestling matches, rolling on her back, kissing, and wiggling around wildly while getting her belly rubbed. (shhh......don't tell her, but this is part of her therapy as she also wags her tail and shows some slight kicking movement in her hind legs while doing this....)

Her left leg is still showing the most progress and she pulls the leg away promptly and gives quite a few kicks of her leg to try to shake me off as I apply firm pressure to her toes. This is good because pulling her leg toward her body, resisting my attempts to pull her leg away from her body, and kicking all use different muscles. Even a little use will help to minimize the atrophy that is occuring in her muscles.

Her right leg is still showing less response, but she is moving it deliberately in toward her body (when upside down doing the wiggles), pulling it away when I squeeze her toes and showing a very slight resistance when I pull her leg away from her body.

THE BIG NEWS is that both this am and this pm when I stood her up on her hind legs she actually held herself up in the standing postion for 2-3 seconds before collapsing using primarily her right leg. She repeated this behavior several times I think she is basically locking out her right leg for a second and getting good at shifting her weight onto her front legs..... but it is a great sign!

Still no attempt to "walk" with her legs, when she is using her sling she just lets her legs hang.

Rehab tom. at Canine Aquatics..... maybe she will try to use them to swim?? update after her rehab.

Dr. Karen

December 7, 2007 at 4:05 PM
posted by: cattees

whee!

December 7, 2007 at 2:58 PM
posted by: mcmars

Outstanding news! Slow and steady wins the race Ellie... you keep working it baby and you'll be better in no time.

December 7, 2007 at 1:44 PM
posted by: rmlamasney25

whooohoo Ellie! Keep wagging that tail pretty girl. I think her progress is tremendous!

December 7, 2007 at 1:14 PM
posted by: kathy_g

*happydance*

December 7, 2007 at 12:03 PM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi,
Ellie went to her therapy this am- no treadmill just tens and muscular stimmulation until her incision heals.

She is now readily wagging just the tip of her tail when she is happy, pulling her left foot away when her toes are tickled and massaged, and then resisting when you try to pull her foot back away from her body. She has even given a few annoyed kicks with her left leg when I don't let go of her toes.
Her right leg is showing slower response, but she is starting to show some muscle contractions when we tickle her toes- especially after her therapy today, and is pulling her foot away, though more weakly that with the left.

She is no longer wetting in her run overnight! instead waiting until we go out for our walks.

Slow but steady progress

Dr. Karen

December 6, 2007 at 5:50 PM
posted by: cattees

Great news!!!

December 6, 2007 at 3:15 PM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi,
Her odds of walking again are drastically better now that she has regained feeling in her legs, however it is too early to know how far her recovery will progress...

Dr. Karen

December 5, 2007 at 9:47 PM
posted by: kathy_g

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!
WAY TO GO ELLIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Dr Karen; has Ellie filled out her adoption application on you yet? :)

You all are the BEST.

December 5, 2007 at 8:02 PM
posted by: kdashfield

Proud to report the first tail wag has been sited..... when we went for her walk this evening I saw two brief but definite periods of slight tail wagging!!!

Dr. Karen

December 5, 2007 at 1:56 PM
posted by: mcmars

Oh that face... what a cutie. Prayers abound for her recovery. God bless you Dr. Karen for being there for her. Sweet kisses Ellie... you're already loved by many.

December 5, 2007 at 1:44 PM
posted by: rmlamasney25

Dr. Karen, do we dare hope Ellie will regain some use of her legs? Ellie looks like a young dog...that's got to be in her favor, plus all the excellent physical tx and medical care....kisses back to you Ellie

December 5, 2007 at 12:43 PM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi,
Ellie sends kisses to everyone....

She did really well this am, actually sitting still a little to tolerate her leg being iced and her therapy on her legs.

New encouraging observations today-

when I stimulate her left foot by putting a finger between the pads and tickling her, I can see her upper thigh muscle tense then relax- signs that she feels my gentle touch and is responding to it

When her back end is lifted into the air so her feet are about 6 inches off the ground, then she is put back down, her feet are always in an upright position!! indicating she has an awareness of her feet and enough muscle tone to hold them in the right positon (though still not enough to keep them from flipping over when she moves)

When I lift her back end as above, I feel a very brief period of resistance as her back legs touch the ground, before she drops into a sit, a sign that she knows her bottom is falling and is attempting to brace her legs against this.

When I gently squeeze the end of her tail then let go to gives her tail a quick/forceful wag indicating she knows what I am up to... no spontaneous tail wagging yet, but I'm sure we will see that really soon.

Thanks for all your good wishes for Ellie, please pass the story along to others....

Karen

December 4, 2007 at 4:33 PM
posted by: cattees

Please give her a hug for me!

December 4, 2007 at 3:37 PM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi,

Picked up Ellie this morning and she was really excited to see me. She is in less pain today after a major orthopedic surgery than she was before her surgery.... and once again won't sit still for anything. Had to hook her harness to the seat belt in the back seat of the car to keep her from try to climb up front and help me drive!

She will spend the next few days getting her leg iced down and and taking anti-inflamatories to keep the swelling and inflamation minimalized in her leg, then back to therapy on Friday.

We installed a rubber horse stall mat for her pen at the kennel to give her better traction while still providing warmth and cushioning for her to prevent any pressure sores.

Dr. Karen

December 4, 2007 at 11:48 AM
posted by: marys

Whee!!! Thanks so much Dr. Dashfield for the care and the updates on Ellie. People who care make such an amazing difference in this world! May you all have the most incredibly blessed holidays ever! I know my holidays are blessed already just reading her story, seeing Ellie's progress, and knowing many of us near and far care. Goosebumps!!!

December 4, 2007 at 9:59 AM
posted by: cattees

What a future Ellie has - thx Dr. Dashfield and all those who are helping Ellie in whatever way they can.

December 4, 2007 at 8:56 AM
posted by: ratmom

Hats off to all the big-hearted New Yorkers and New Jerseyans who donate their time and talent for a little street dog who needs their help.

December 3, 2007 at 8:53 PM
posted by: kathy_g

YESSS!
Ok, so I sit here blubbering happy tears. :)

Thank you, Dr Karen for such an encouraging update!
And thank you ALL for giving so full-heartedly of yourselves. THIS is what it's all about. :)

December 3, 2007 at 8:34 PM
posted by: njanmlrsq3

Dr. Karen Dashfield,

Keep up the excellent progress that you are making with Ellie. It is people like you and everyone who has been involved with Ellie that really do make a diffrence.

December 3, 2007 at 8:29 PM
posted by: kdashfield

Hi,
Ellie's myelogram shows no need for back surgery as it confirmed that there is no back fracture and nothing putting pressure on the spinal cord.
Dr. Zolton tried to replace her hip in the socket, but the damage was too severe to her cartilage (which cushions the joint), so he had to perform a femoral head excision (FHO). Had he put the hip back in place she would have developed crippling arthritis in the hip within the next year.... so she is better off with the FHO.
We will be picking her up tom. morning and will give a further update at that time.

Dr. Karen

December 3, 2007 at 5:01 PM
posted by: rmlamasney25

Ellie, you are a precious loving girl. I counted 7 kisses in 20 seconds! And they say animals are incapable of gratitude and love! And like your namesake, you are courageous and won't surrender your spirit to adversity. I hope Ellie continues to improve. She has the very best folks to care for her now.

December 3, 2007 at 4:44 PM
posted by: Engled974

Ellie, what a brave loving canine you are! Lucy, Jazz, and I are sending lots of Santa wishes for your cart to arrive and a new forever home.