Gilligan Chooses LIFE Over Death!

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It was just after Thanksgiving, 2017 that PCS stumbled across this Facebook post on a Fresno Lost & Found page showing the sweetest stray dog who was nothing but skin and bones... A Good Samaritan had been feeding him for a few days and had reached out to local rescues with no luck. From just a short little video clip on that Fresno Lost and Found Facebook Page, we just knew that we were his only shot....

We quickly put the wheels in motion to get him to the safety of our rescue. Our Media Coordinator contacted the Good Samaritan through Facebook for more information and found out that he had been living in an empty house...after his family moved and abandoned him there to starve to death. Later when we were able to examine him in person, we believe that he lived a pathetic excuse of his life on a chain, tied in the backyard...and ultimately broke all of his teeth escaping off that chain and making his way to the streets of Fresno to find a scrap of food. He absolutely broke our hearts. People can be so cruel.

The Good Samaritan who had been feeding him was absolutely thrilled when we reached out to her. She explained to us that a representative of a local rescue had already come and caught him. She gave us that person’s contact info and we reached out to them to make sure he was safe and sound. Much to our dismay, we learned that Skipper (the name she had given him) had been caught and taken to the Fresno Humane Society, not into a local rescue like we previously thought. Boy are we glad we called to check on him! We offered to take him into our rescue and give him the TLC he so desperately yearned for. The very next day the same representative transported Gilligan (his new name) to Modesto where we planned to meet her at the Stanislaus Shelter Parking Lot (part way for both of us) to pick up our sweet boy.

We were so glad we could save this precious boy... his fate at any shelter was none other than death. He didn't stand a chance in the world at ANY shelter with the state that he was in.... But now he was safe with PCS.

Over the next few weeks we enjoyed getting to know "Gill" and giving him what he needed for the time being... which was love, affection, and healthy proportioned meals to help him get to a healthy weight BEFORE we could take him to our regular vet for an overall exam. From the first day he came into our care, we knew he had something wrong with his back legs...but being that he was quite literally a skeleton, there were too many factors that could explain his wobbly walk. It could have to do with malnutrition. It could have to do with the years of severe neglect. It could have to do with the abuse we believe this innocent pup endured, having possibly been forced to fight for his life (as some of his scars would explain). It could be arthritis. It could be hip dysplasia... it could be so many different things, but we were going to get him all the care he needed, no matter what!

In his foster home Gill finally got to experience the kind of love he truly deserves and his foster mom focused on getting to know his personality and helping him put on weight with all the high quality food and treats he could want! One month after he arrived, we decided that he was finally at a healthy enough weight to be seen by our vet (click on the underlined words above to see the original posts and videos).

On January 13, 2018, Gill was seen (click to view original post) by the AMAZING staff at Franklin Ranch Vet Hospital. Our wonderful vet immediately determined that Gill likely had several things wrong with him and we would need to explore each area of concern one at a time. That day our Vet took nearly 100 x-rays (click to see that post; the Medical Report from this visit is below). This was just the first step.... As we sat in the exam room with Gilligan sitting on our feet, smiling as we pet him, our vet came in and showed us the x-rays on the monitor and discussed what he could see from these images. He also sent the x-rays to be read by a Radiologist and suggested we bring Gill back to be seen by a UC Davis Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon for further assessment. Luckily they were able to squeeze us in the following week and what the Ortho Specialist went over with us was nothing short of heart wrenching... Brace yourselves: Gilligan has significant scarring and previous puncture wounds that x-rays then exposed as the cause of a previous fracture in his wrist - the fractures had healed BUT had healed incorrectly and now that Gill was putting on weight and walking instead of being chained up, they had become EXTREMELY inflamed and severely agitated, poor sweet baby.

"What do you think caused those fractures, doctor?" we asked, afraid of what he might say next. "Well, based on the scars he has, I would guess that he was used for fighting but probably then became a bait dog instead."

He went on to say that Gilligan’s elbows had some of the worst arthritis he had ever seen! Just from our observation we could see that his elbows were oddly bowed and he walked with choppy little steps, so to hear and see in the images that his elbows were EXTREMELY bad and needed surgery didn't come as too much of a surprise. We were ready for anything. We would do anything. We were devoted to this sweet boy for the rest of his life and we intended on making it as comfortable as possible for him. Gill quickly became a PCS favorite and had weekly visitors come to see him. :)

But the prognosis didn't stop there. The Ortho went on to explain that while the arthritis explains the issues with Gilligan’s elbows, he couldn't see anything in the Spinal x-rays that would explain his "wobbly" walk. He could see some degeneration in his vertebrae, but still, that did not explain his almost ‘drunken’ walk. "So, what do we do next? Surgery on his elbows and wrist, right?? Let’s get that scheduled," we said, eager to help Gilligan however we could. But it wasn't that simple and there is a process, as any of you who have been through a neurological diagnosis either with your pets or yourselves know.

"Unfortunately we cannot operate on any part of Gilligan until he is seen by a neurologist; medication also could be a potential risk when there is an existing neurological issue so now that x-rays have been taken and the issue with his back legs is still unexplained, the next step is to have Gill seen by a Neurologist.”

"Let's do it! How do we schedule that?” We were then referred to UC Davis Small Animal Neurology Dept., which many of you probably already know is no small feat! UC Davis wasn't even taking appointments at the time and Gilligan’s condition did NOT qualify as an emergency, although we even tried that route! We circled back to the Ortho and explained our conundrum. He said that Gilligan was stable and as soon as we could get him seen for an MRI and by a Neurologist, we would be able to come up with a game plan. For now, we waited. In the meantime, Gill became fast friends with his foster siblings, slept in bed with his foster mom every night - even attended adoption events and greeted EVERYONE with full body wags and loads and loads of kisses! Click HERE and HERE for those posts, and take a look at the attached photos to see him soaking up rays at our April adoption event, just loving life. :)

Recently our sweet boy took a turn for the worst...he started to have trouble standing on his own. This happened on a Wednesday and we had him back at Franklin Ranch on Thursday to see what could possibly be going on. The wonderful office manager pulled us aside and suggested we try another MRI location that maybe - just maybe - might have an opening sooner than Davis. We immediately called, poured our hearts out and wept for their help…

"I'm sorry ma’am, we don't have anything for the next THREE MONTHS." Are you kidding me?! What about an emergency?? Nope, Gilligan STILL didn't classify as an emergency as long as he was walking at all (not a great system if you ask us!). "Please, if there is anything that becomes available, no matter what time, no matter what day, PLEEEEEASE call us. We will take it!"

To our surprise, we got a call later that afternoon and heard the most amazing words of our lives...."We had a cancellation for tomorrow at 8 am, can you make it?" YOU BET WE CAN!!

That next day, Gill was seen by the resident Neurologist for a general exam (not by the specialist we were initially referred to, but hey, beggars can't be choosers and at this point we were willing to take whatever we could to get our foot in the door!). They examined Gill and gave us an estimate for an MRI and additional Spinal Tap testing which was what they recommend next.

Why couldn’t we do it right then and there, you ask? Well, in order for an MRI, Gilligan would have to be put under general anesthesia so they could manipulate his hips and spine to take multiple images at various angles. This could take several hours, and an anesthesiologist must be scheduled onsite for the entire duration of the appointment. The same was required for a spinal tap in order for them to take a sample of spinal fluid to rule out any infections that could be contributing to his problems. The office gave us estimates for all the testing as well as the Surgery they believed he would need afterwards so that we could begin fundraising.

The next morning, we decided to give Gilligan’s supporters a quick update as to what had transpired over the past week, much to our heartache (see that live video HERE ). Well, then that evening…things got even worse - he couldn’t even stand anymore. At this point we decided enough was enough! Gilligan IS an emergency to us and we weren’t going to wait anymore...he could no longer walk on his own without falling. He was declining, and FAST. We decided we couldn't jump through any more hoops or wait any longer. We called the VCA and let them know we were on our way in and it was an emergency.

We had Gill’s MRIs and spinal fluid testing done to ensure there were no infections that could be the cause of all this. (Scroll to the very bottom of this page to view the medical reports and estimates/invoices.)

Gill went into emergency Spinal surgery on May 9th with a 50/50 chance that a herniated disk was the cause of the loss of function in his back legs. There was also a 50/50 risk that he would never walk again… All we heard was: There was a chance to save him…. So we took it. Every time we blink we see his big beautiful eyes looking up at us with so much hope and love…. How could we turn our backs on him now???? We couldn’t. We wouldn’t. We won’t. Not ever.

Gilligan's MRIs, testing, and surgery alone will amount to an estimated $11,000. Our current fundraising goal is $13,000 to cover future physical therapy, a wheelchair...whatever he needs (this campaign will be updated with additional estimates and invoices as those needs are determined). These emergency costs are astronomical to us, BUT we knew we had no other choice. Thankfully PCS's good reputation helped a lot, and the wonderful staff at VCA were willing to honor a payment plan for us. This is not something they normally do.

Gill has been hospitalized since May 9th and we expect him back home to his loving foster on 5/16 or possibly 5/17 depending on how he is doing after this major surgery. We hope for the very best but with any spinal surgery there is always a chance things do not improve... We are all saying our prayers for our sweet boy and regardless of the outcome, we are prepared to get him ANYTHING he needs if this operation did not repair the problem. If that means he needs a wheelchair, so be it. As long as Gilligan has the will to fight for his life and continues to show us how happy and loving he is, PCS will fight right alongside him.

Now all we need is your help with his medical expenses - he is worth every penny and ten times more! If you haven’t had a chance to meet Gill just yet, we hope that you do. He is the EPITOME of why PCS dedicates our lives to saving lives like his.... Some who don't know his entire story have commented that it would be best to "end his suffering", but Gilligan is one in a million, and to this day he looks up at us with so much love and hope in his big, beautiful, smiling eyes. As long as he looks at us that way, as long as he shows us that he’s happy and fighting, we will NOT turn our backs on him.

Please don't turn your back on Gilligan. He has already been through enough... PLEASE HELP US HELP GILL. We will keep everyone updated on his progress moving forward and we ask that you all pray for his ability to walk again. But if he cannot, we will hopefully pay off his current expenses so we can refocus our efforts on getting him a custom wheelchair. Whatever he needs, we will provide for him - with all of your love and support, of course!