Rocco

Last Updated: June 12, 2011

Here is Rocco’s story, in the words of his rescuer:
“Rocco was an owner turn-in from a very young couple going through many tribulations. They said he was ‘paralyzed suddenly’ but had been improving and they just couldn’t take care of him anymore. In meeting him, we found he was neurologic, unable to stand, wobbly, at first unable to ‘track’ with his vision, confused mentally and very painful to the touch. We thought at first, ruptured disc.

“He has a great disposition. We have taken him to the neurologist for an ’emergency’ consultation. He immediately stated not disc, possible Valley Fever lesion, definitely in the cerebellum. We decided first course of action would be to draw blood, check for Valley Fever and to start Fluconazole immediately. The medications seemed to bring a small improvement. Unfortunately, the Valley Fever titer was negative and so an MRI was the next diagnostic step to see why he is so ataxic.
“He has had an MRI and the diagnosis is Meningoencephalomyelitis, unknown etiology.
“Basically, he has auto-immune meningitis that is affecting the cerebellum, brain stem, spinal cord and both cerebral hemispheres. The neurologist did state he has seen worse cases and this can possibly be “turned around” and controlled with aggressive treatment, which we have decided to proceed with.
“At this time, we are addressing only the neurological disorder. If we find we can treat and help him get better, we will do that and then work on anything else that may come up.”
CorgiAid supporters have helped with the cost of the MRI needed to figure out what is wrong with Rocco, and what might help him feel better. Thank you!
Rocco is just a youngster at three years old, and we all hope he can recover and have many years of happy life.
Rocco was rescued in Arizona.