Halen’s Medical Journey

06/07/2023

Hello, everyone!
I know it’s been a while since I’ve been on here to update. But, know that no news has been good news!
We have been able to slowly wean Halen off of his prednisolone the last few months. With the recommendation of Dr. Haag, Halen has also had three rounds of Solensia injections. Solensia is a OA medication used to treat both dogs and cats. With Halen’s stiffness issues since birth, as well as the unknown limp he has with his front leg, we thought we would give it a try. It really seems to help him!
Now that he’s been off the steroid almost completely, we have noticed a much more happy, active, spry, and adventurous side of him. He still has the tremors when he lays in certain positions, but they really have not seemed to affect his quality of life. He hasn’t seemed bothered by them. At this point, we will continue to monitor him and see how things go. On days the tremors are more severe, we will still give him a steroid to help lessen them.
Overall, things have been going great and I couldn’t be more relieved for my baby!! Thanks for all of the support you have given us along this journey!

10/15/2022

I’ve been meaning to update everyone, but I may have found a miracle for Halen. I was doing a bunch of research and came across a few studies that showed success with prednisone treating idiopathic tremors in dogs and cats. I guess a lot of times they suspect the tremors are due to an autoimmune response, and steroids are known for helping those issues. So, I called up Dr. Haag who is affiliated with Pine Bluff and told her about everything at VCA and the research I did. She was the first one I took him to when this all started.
She was comfortable writing the prescription for me to give it a try. I kid you not, within hours, the tremors almost completely dissipated! He was still having minor ones when he would lay in certain positions, but NOTHING like he did before. The second day the tremors were a little worse than the first day, but last night they were almost completely gone again. Today, has also been wonderful with very little tremors.
The studies showed that most of the cats and dogs were able to slowly go to a lower dose of prednisone and then eventually go off of it completely over time. Not many had to stay on it permanently. I’m so so happy that I’m starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel!!!
I’ll share a few videos of tremor-free Halen.
I can’t believe it took my own research to find answers. It just shows that you have to be your own pet’s advocate.

09/30/2022

Halen’s spinal tap results came back clean! This is great news. I’m just feeling a little discouraged because once again we don’t have answers for him. I’m crossing my fingers that we can find a medicine that helps. He seems to have a lot a little weight since this all started. Not sure if it’s due to the pain meds he was taking, or pain related. I’m hoping it’s just less and stress of going to the vet. Well, now we are on to our wedding weekend. I will update everyone when he starts gabapentin on Tuesday!

09/29/2022

Halen went for all of his testing today!
Poor baby looks a mess, but he seemed to check out! The MRI looked great. They couldn’t find anything besides a small benign cyst on his brain that shouldn’t be causing any issues. He had an ultrasound and the only thing it showed was a smaller than usual left kidney. The doctor mentioned that this could be from his traumatic birth. They said it must be working fine because his blood work came back good. They also saw a lymph node that was a little on the bigger side, but they don’t think it’s a problem right now. The only thing we are waiting on are his spinal fluid results. If those come back clean, she is going to rule the tremors idiopathic.

09/21/2022

Hello! My name is Ella Horton and I’m here today to tell you a little about my baby, Halen. About a… Ella Horton needs your support for Please Help Halen

09/20/2022

Halen went to VCA today and saw the neurologist. They gave us many different things it could be, so they are starting with a bunch of blood work and then will go from there. Next steps could include MRI, spinal tap, or muscle biopsy. The blood results should help guide us on the right path. Little man was not happy at the doctor’s office today!!

09/17/2022

Good morning, everyone!

I decided to make this page to showcase Halen’s medical needs and hopefully progress as we embark on this new journey. We rescued him about a year and a half ago from a wonderful local rescue, named Promise Rescue. They informed me that Halen was special because his mom had a difficult time giving birth to him. Upon x-rays, they found that Halen had fractured bones in his pelvis. For many months, he had limited mobility, and they weren’t sure if he would be able to have a good quality of life. Luckily, he beat all odds and went on to live a happy life with his new parents (us). It took a while to regain his strength, but he did.
A few months ago, my fiancé and I started to notice slight tremors while he was resting or sleeping. We didn’t think much of it until recently when it began to get much worse and visibly saw him limping around. I knew something wasn’t right, so I rushed him to our local veterinarian’s office. They felt the tremors and muscle contractions were pain related, but weren’t quite sure where it was coming from. They gave us some meds to try, but it wasn’t successful. I knew in my heart of hearts, that something more serious was going on. I got him in to VCA in Aurora as soon as I could. After doing multiple tests and observations, their conclusions are that something is going on with his spinal cord and it may be related to his traumatic birth. His reflexes in his hind legs are off, which also tells them that nerve damage has occurred from whatever is going on.
At this point, we know the symptoms are neurological, and are probably related to some kind of spinal injury. The next steps are to get an MRI and spinal tap completed, so we can determine the exact source of the issue. From there, he will either need a specific treatment plan that will either consist of medicine or, god forbid, a spinal surgery.
Halen is such a happy boy, and a HUGE part of our family. I will do anything and everything for him, which is why I’m taking the steps to create awareness of his journey. I hope everyone who reads this and sees his pictures can get an idea of how loved he is, and maybe feel some of that love as well. I plan to update this page as we know more information. His next appointment is this coming Monday, September 19th. He will be seeing the neurologist, and will most likely be getting the tests he needs that day. If you are able to help in any way, please go to Halen’s GoFundMe that will be linked to this post. If you can only share so that his story gets out there, please know how appreciated you are.
Thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart!!

Hello! My name is Ella Horton and I’m here today to tell you a little about my baby, Halen. About a… Ella Horton needs your support for Please Help Halen

09/17/2022

Just a few videos to demonstrate the symptoms he’s showing. I don’t want to post that many because it’s sad to watch and has unfortunately gotten worse.

09/17/2022

These videos show some of the symptoms that Halen is currently showing with his spinal issue. I don’t want to post too many, as it’s sad to watch. Unfortunately, it’s worsened since taking these.

09/17/2022

Pictures from kitten to adulthood!

09/17/2022

A small snapshot of Halen’s life with us over the past year and a half. It was hard to choose just a few. Enjoy!