The decision came after 10-year-old sheltie’s health suddenly declined. He stopped eating or drinking, lost control of his bowels and was paralyzed, making it impossible for him to walk.
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The Metenes took him in for multiple tests — including blood work, a urinalysis and X-rays — but to no avail. They then decided it would be best to end his suffering.
“We were at a complete loss,” Al Meteney said in a press release. “What do you do in that situation? He is part of our family, and we’ve always tried to provide the best care we can for him.”
The pair brought in Ollie to DoveLewis Animal Hospital where Dr. Adam Stone, along with external Neena Golden, a student from a veterinary school, began to prepare the dog for the euthanasia process. In doing so, Golden felt a lump behind Ollie’s ear.
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It turned out to be a tick, the kind the can cause tick paralysis.
Despite wearing a tick collar, Ollie had been bitten by this poisonous tick, which releases a toxin through its saliva and into the carrier’s bloodstream. The effects are similar to Ollie’s symptoms.
“I had never seen a tick paralysis case. It’s one of those things you learn about randomly in school; it’s on one slide during one presentation,” said Stone.
After discovering the cause and treating the dog, Ollie was back to his normal self within 10 hours.
“Thank God we were led to DoveLewis, and they saw the tick and remembered what they had learned years ago,” Al said. “Ollie is looking better and better every day.”
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Image via DoveLewis Emergency Hospital
