Story of the Week: Jolly and a Lonely Bouquet

Jolly is a 7-year-old male Harlequin Great Dane who came to the VCA in June with increased weakness and instability in his hindquarters. He was recently seen by VCA-VRA neurologist Dr. Steinberg who performed a physical exam and an MRI. Jolly was diagnosed with Wobbler’s Disease, which involves compression of the spinal cord in the neck vertebrae, which causes the instability and weakness Jolly is experiencing. Fortunately, this disease is treatable with medicine and surgery options available on a case-by-case basis. He hopes to start Prednisone soon and looks forward to enjoying the rest of the summer. Jolly’s hobbies include going boating, swimming, hanging out at the beach, and playing with his two brothers (another Great Dane and an English lab).

Since receiving this diagnosis, Jolly has connected with other dogs who share similar neurological issues on Facebook’s “Neuro Dogs” page. There were many other posts with first-hand experiences and Jolly’s family learned a lot about Wobbler’s Disease and how to approach the care and management of a Great Dane with the disease. Members of the Neuro Dogs Facebook group are a very caring and supportive group of people and we are lucky to have found them.

Jolly wanted to leave a “lonely bouquet” at VCA last Wednesday because he knew someone finding it would either be a patient’s parent in need of cheering up or a staff member who could use a thank you for all the hard work they do. Please visit www.thelonelybouquet.com to learn more about how you can have fun performing random acts of kindness and spreading smiles, one bouquet at a time.

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