Layla’s Story

Age at diagnosis: 10 months

Breed: Boxer

Layla wasn't herself. I couldn't get her off the couch, and when I got her off the couch she wouldn't go up the stairs - I had to carry her. She wouldn't eat, so we ended up going to an emergency vet clinic in Barrie, Ontario, who couldn't figure out what was going on. They thought she was nauseous and dehydrated and sent me home with some medication for nausea. The next day she wasn't any better, so I ended up going to a new vet in Collingwood, Ontario. The veterinarian was quick to diagnose - she believed she had meningitis and sent me ASAP to an Oakville neurological vet. Layla spent the night in the hospital and started having head tremors. The vet sent me a video and asked if that was normal - I said no. We believe it was a side effect of the steroids. She was off and on with bladder infections and false pregnancy most of the summer. Once she was able, we had her spayed and she's been amazing since. It was a very long road to recovery, but she's been drug free for 7 months. I am so happy she came through and she's now about to celebrate her 2nd birthday!

Layla is part of The Theo Project's canine meningitis registry - a growing global collection of MUE, MUO and SRMA stories shared to help families facing this diagnosis.