December 2017 - Maggie BEFORE surgery:

Maggie had all but given up hope.  She found herself in quite the pickle, when she was left in an alley in Long Beach, California - unable to walk with abrasions on her rear paws and her abdomen from dragging herself over asphalt. She was crying and howling for help when a Good Samaritan heard her and discovered her.

The nice lady that found her brought Maggie to a vet to get her scanned for a microchip and get her wounds treated.   Maggie even was on the local news program, in an effort to spread her story.   No adopters came forward and after three weeks, the Good Samaritan had no other options left for Maggie.

  She contacted Two Hands Four Paws in West LA to ask for assistance.  They offered to give Maggie a temporary place to be boarded and to get some physical therapy and acupuncture.  That is when they asked Camp Cocker if we could help.

That's where many of YOU came in, and you donated in the last few days to help Maggie to get a neurologist consult and an MRI (we are still fundraising to finish paying that bill off).

So here is the diagnosis (we just heard back on the radiology report). Maggie has a herniated disc that is pressing against her spinal cord. The hope was that if the disc is removed (via back surgery) that there might be a chance to revive some of the spinal cord. The radiologist said that it is difficult to tell by the MRI if there is permanent damage (they see either scar tissue or inflammation on both sides of the herniated disc).

The herniated disc is causing pain in Maggie's back and she is on pain medication and anti-inflammatory medication right now, but this is not a long term solution.

Normally, back surgery should be done within 48 hours of an injury like this, if the dog is ever going to walk normal again. Since we don't know how long Maggie has been suffering with this injury, we simply have no idea if back surgery will help her to walk better again.

However, doing back surgery solves two problems. 
1) it gets the herniated disc out of her back and the bone debris removed that is currently pressing against her spinal cord. This gets her out of pain and that's a positive.
2) it eliminates the chance for that disc debris to shift and cause further damage to Maggie's spinal cord and neurological functions

The downside, is that doing back surgery won't guarantee it will improve her walking. There's a chance it could, there's a chance it won't.

*****Surgery completed December 24th 2017*****

This page will be updated soon but check out Facebook page for

up-to-date information about all of our dogs!

-Camp Cocker Rescue Team

April 2018 - Maggie AFTER surgery!

Please consider donating a small amount - if a lot of people donate a small amount it can really add up! Help Maggie start a new chapter of her life - one where she will be treasured like a family member!

Most of Maggie's disc debris was removed during surgery. The pieces that were not removed had attached themselves to Maggie's spinal cord permanently. The good news is: the pressure from the herniated disc is relieved and Maggie is looking at a pain-free life from now on! The not-so-great news is that because the surgery was done 6-8 weeks after the initial injury, 

We will continue to look on the bright side and start her on physical therapy once she is cleared. Perhaps the Doctors, Therapists and Staff at Two Hands Four Paws can get her strong again, like they did with our Violet!

5 weeks post-op! She's walking!

What we know about Maggie!

• She is around 4-5 years of age.
• No longer needs a wheelcart - she has made such progress.
• Sweet demeanor!
• Maggie lights up the room when she wobbles in.
• She has a lot of energy! Would do best in an active home!
• She prefers the company of humans over dogs
• Kids with dog experience recommended.