Help Sig walk again!

Siegfried Von Der Insle (aka Sig) was born on August 18, 2018. He was the last of his litter to be picked because of his dark coloration, but I know it was fate’s way of bringing us together. I got Sig at a dark, difficult time in my life. I had recently returned from my latest deployment to the Middle East as I am a member of the US Armed Forces. Upon my return, I was suffering both mentally and physically. I can’t begin to express how important Sig was, and continues to be, in my recovery. It pains me so much to see Sig in his current condition but watching him fight gives me the drive to continue my own fight. It may sound cliche, but there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Sig because he was there for me in my darkest of days. We are a team until the very end.

Sig’s Diagnosis: On the morning of October 9, 2022, I let Sig out and headed to work. He had a slight limp on his left hind leg, but I wasn’t overly worried. When I returned home, he was sitting at the gate as he usually would, but when I let him out again, his back legs were not working. I immediately rushed him to VCA Pearl City’s emergency department, where the doctors began a series of tests and bloodwork. Results showed that Sig had a high count of Discospondylitis present in his blood. Discospondylitis is a rare bacterial or fungal infection that attacks the intervertebral discs and vertebral bones of dogs. The emergency vet team began aggressive treatment for bacterial Discospondylitis, and after a few days, it became clear that Sig was not responding to treatment. By this point, Sig had lost total control of his rear legs and the ability to control his bladder. More bloodwork was ordered and this time the samples were sent to a mainland lab that specializes in testing canine blood samples. The second set of bloodwork showed that Sig’s blood did, in fact, contain Discospondylitis - the fungal version. A new round of treatment and heavy antibiotics were ordered and then there was nothing left to do but hope and pray that the treatment would have a positive effect on Sig’s ability to use his rear legs again.

To date, I have spent over $25,000 on emergency vet bills, blood tests, meds, multiple antibiotics and a multiple-week stay at a Mililani Mauka Veterinary Clinic’s canine rehab facility. Sig has since been released from Mililani Mauka Vet Clinic but returns each day to receive physical therapy and rehab treatments. One week of outpatient treatment for Sig costs over $3,200 per week. There’s no telling how much damage was done to Sig’s spinal cord as there is no test available, but I continue to see small improvements, which give me hope that Sig might be able to stand on his own someday. Currently, Sig is at home, but the bills continue to mount as his medical needs continue. The next step is to get Sig adjusted to his new way of life at home, to monitor his mental well-being, and to order adaptive equipment in an effort to make his life as close to normal as possible.

I have accepted the fact that Sig will never become a certified Search & Rescue dog as he was actively training before his diagnosis. Realistically speaking, it is doubtful that Sig will ever run after a tennis ball again - which was his favorite thing to do. My hope and prayer is simple: that one day Sig will be able to stand, or even walk, on his own again. At the end of the day, I don’t know what the future holds for Sig but what I do know is that I will never give up on Sig because he never gave up on me. In my darkest of times, Sig was my shining light, and I will do anything and everything to return the love and support that he unconditionally shared with me.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story, and I hope that you find it in your heart to make a contribution to Sig, his medical bills and his fight to walk again.