Layla’s Story

Age at diagnosis: 3 years

Breed: Australian Shepherd

Layla has always been very playful and energetic, as most aussies naturally are. She has been one of the best dogs to ever own. So smart and easily trainable. We trained her to press buttons when she wants food or to play. It used to always be the play button she would press but after the medications all she pressed was food haha.

We had her in agility classes before the diagnosis, and I think it was our agility instructor who first pointed out her gait being off. We thought it could have been hip dysplasia for a long time and put off taking her to the vet because some days she would walk better than other days and it wasn't overly affecting her at the time. and one vet even brushed it off and said it was just a torn ligament.

She loves my husband the most as he works from home and loves playing with her. She communicates very clearly and is always "asking" him to play ball. Her favorite toys are the big rubber jolly balls. She loves to play tug with them and tear them up. She is not overly cuddly and prefers to be near you but not to be touched most of the time. She loves to bring you socks in the morning or when you come home.

It has been very hard watching how the medications have affected her personality and I imagine will be even harder as this journey continues as we have only just started. I don't know how long of a life she will have and I fear for her quality of life as time goes on.

We take her everywhere with us and she does very well in any public setting, so we are just trying to enjoy the time we have with her. We just bought a house specifically so she can have a yard, and now this disease has taken away her ability to enjoy it properly.

I am trying to talk to as many people as possible who have a dog with this disease, especially if you have an Aussie, because the specialist notes it is a very rare breed to have this condition. Part of me still wonders if it is actually immune mediated or could be something else.

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.