Anika - In Loving Memory

In Loving Memory of My Sweet Anika

It is with a heavy heartsoul I change the name of Anika's page to reflect the passing of my sweet friend Anika. 


11/18
In a few hours, it will mark the start of the 14th day this world lost a sweet gentle beautiful soul.

Ms. Anika's surgery was far more envasive and difficult than the neurologist had originally thought it was going to be . Even with the known risk we were so very hopeful she would recover. Unfortunately our story doesn't have the ending we wanted.  Anika passed away about 30 hours after coming through the surgery. My sweet little fighter did her best, but her body could not pull through the tumors envasion. 

I wish Anika could have meet more of the fantastic loving people who have stood by us and support us! 

Besos!

I will keep Anika's page open and appreciative of the continued support even after her passing. 

*Kiss all of your loved animals and humans at every chance you get*

All the best to you and more,
-Diana 



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Anika needs a Craniotomy to remove the abnormal mass putting pressure on her cerebellum.

10/30
The MRI was moved up, Anika went in yesterday early afternoon. The results from the MRI was not what we had hoped for.  Ms. Anika has an abnormal mass that has grown near her left brainstem and occipital lobe, putting pressure on her cerebellum. From the imaging it could not be determined whether the mass is cancerous or benign - this will require surgery.
I will be working with the neurologist in the next day or two to plan out the next steps leading up to the surgery.

Even though the exact kind of mass is still unknown, I am relieved to "know" what the issue is causing Anika's world to be flipped on end.
We have increased the Prednisone some in the interim, which is helping some.

Thank you, thank you everyone for sharing our story and caring about my emotional well being during this and reaching out by funding the means to get Anika back on track!!
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Anika needs an MRI and spinal tap to diagnose her head tilt/unbalance issue.
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10/26
I just spoke with the neurologist - the MRI has been scheduled for this Thursday morning.
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10/26
The past few days have been rough. Anika is struggling even more with her balance. I am assisting her a lot more so she doesn't tip over when going potty and such.

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10/24
We are on day 24 - Still in the "unknown" stage of prognosis for Anika's head tilt & balance issue. The doctors have ruled out some possible causes during the past few weeks - visible ear infections, Old Dog Vestibular Disease. Her blood test came back normal/good/otherwise healthy. However, each day with no improvement has brought us closer to Anika needing to have the MRI of her head and spinal tap to really know what the cause is and how to treat it.

So, here I am, sad that my sweet puppyfriend has had her world literally turned upside down and scared of what the MRI will say and yet hopeful that the scan will relay an issue that has a solution to restore her health!
I am hoping that sharing our story of Anika's tilted world will help me in obtaining the means to get the MRI for Anika!

We have tried two rounds of an antibiotic and now starting the second stage of Prednisone. Unfortunately, the update I just gave Anika's doc wasn't what we where hoping for. After 10 days of Prednisone, Anika isn't displaying any marked signs of improvement that I could report. I have a message in to speak with the neurologist today.

While I wait for the call, I have realized, I have come to "that" bridge - where I now have to gather what I can to give her the best shot at regaining her health.
With help from folks, I can give it to her!

Those of you who have met my Sweet Anika can speak to just how sweet she is and everyone can to how much she matters to me and how brutal this ordeal has been!
Thank you fam and friends for your continued positive thoughts and energy - keep'em comin'!




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Below is the first entry I made in Anika's journal. This is how things started.
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10/2 Anika and I visited the vet yesterday for a physical. She had been panting a lot the past month or so, even in a cool area or just laying at rest and thought I would be a good idea to have a checkup. I noticed she was tilting her head like she had something in her ear. She wasn’t shaking it, but just walking with it tilted.

The vet checked her out. He wasn’t concerned about the panting because it wasn’t labored or rapid. He focused mostly on the head tilt. He checked her ears and didn’t find anything stuck in them, nor an infection. I suggested maybe she slept wrong and could have a sore neck and was favoring it? He moved her neck in all direction and only felt a slight resistance with an upward stretch. At some point I noted that she had been not putting weight on her back right leg. He had me walk her down the hall to observe her.

He talked about the possibility that she had Old Dog Vestibular Disention. Usually the condition is seen in old dogs and since she is only middle aged he wasn’t convinced it was this. I am to monitor her for the week; the symptoms might resolve themselves. If she starts showing additional symptoms – falling over, dragging limbs, and shaking of her eye(s) – he said to let him know. If necessary blood test, and ct scan to see if she had a tumor or something else.

This evening, I have observed that she is still tilting her head, she is stumbling a little more and not walking in the most direct line. I can hear her feet dragging some on the tile and looks like she is slightly favoring/limping with her back right leg. I checked her eyes and didn’t see any shaking. She was hesitant to step up the stairs in the garage (which she usually bonds up) which I am not sure was a mobility issue or a visual depth perception issue. She still wants to play, but noticed she is not picking up the ball easily – she grabs it with the side of her mouth instead of straight on. When she looks at me from the side, it looks as if she is having trouble focusing on me –
like when I have vertigo, some angles are less “spinney” than others.
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Before getting on the Tilt-A-World ride Oct. 1st:

Level headed Anika... 



Anika in August...

Thank you from Anika!! :-)