Raife’s Story

There are many reasons why dogs come into a rescue organization. Meet Raife, a very special Golden Retriever pup who came to Southeastern Virginia Golden Retriever Rescue, Education and Training (SEVA GRREAT) in 2017 with an unusual medical issue. Raife was attacked by another dog when he was 3 months old while he was playing with a toy. He was bitten in his head causing severe trauma and damage to his still developing skull and brain. Raife’s young family tried to give him the medical care he needed but realized his wounds were not healing properly.

The doctors were giving him prednisone to keep his brain from swelling. Raife needed more medical attention that would be more than his family could afford. After consulting with veterinarians and extended family members, they came to the painful conclusion that Raife would need to be surrendered to a rescue that could give him the medical care he’d need to survive.

It was a difficult decision but one that his family knew was the only way he would have a chance at a normal life. Faced with mounting medical bills, a first baby on the way and job insecurity the family reached out to SEVA GRREAT for help. SEVA GRREAT was open to hearing Raife’s story. After consulting with different veterinarians it was determined that Raife would most likely need complex skull and possibly brain surgery. Raife was now 15 months old and without this surgery his life expectancy was very short. There was a good chance he would not live to see his second birthday.

After consulting with SEVA GRREAT board members and a lengthy discussion, the board decided/voted to take Raife into the rescue. The first thing was to determine the extent of his injuries and a medical plan to save him. The Board knew this would be an expensive endeavor and also thought it was worth the cost to give this lovable sweet pup a chance at a long and healthy life.

His foster mom and SEVA GRREAT Intake coordinator met frequently with veterinarians. It was obvious early on that this was not a normal medical procedure and would require special skills. Raife’s medical team had performed similar operations before and were optimistic they could repair the damage to his skull.

After an initial CT scan they diagnosed Raife with missing a piece of bone between the nasal cavity and his brain, a lot of fluid and an infection was suspected. The doctors decided to use a piece of pig intestine to close the gap knowing the intestine would harden with age and act as a protective barrier to his skull.

The doctors presented the plan to the SEVA GRREAT board emphasizing the seriousness of the operation and the possible outcomes. The surgery could result with Raife having seizure disorder and mental issues. Without surgery Raife had roughly 6-8 months to live. With surgery he had an opportunity for a normal life.

Possible outcomes of the surgery included: • no side effects • possible seizure disorder • Inability to distinguish between nips and bites

Possible outcomes if no surgery: • shortened life span • rescue would keep him comfortable until he crossed the Rainbow Bridge

Raife post-surgery April 20, 2017

Raife’s Intake photo, skull damage at top of his head

A decision was made by the orthopedic surgeon and the neurosurgeon to schedule the surgery and perform a MRI the morning of the operation to determine if anything had changed and if they could or should not proceed. The MRI confirmed that the initial trauma caused the damage, there was no inflammation or infection in the head. The skull was compressed and had not changed. There was the possibility Raife would most likely have some mental impairment. The decision was made to proceed with the surgery.

The surgery took place on April 20, 2017. Dr Barnes, lead surgeon, cut Raife’s face from the forehead down his nose and laid his face open. He removed bone fragments, sealed up holes and he rebuilt his face. The doctors did not touch his brain, they reconstructed his skull. They did not expect any personality disorders since they did not touch his brain.

SEVA GRREAT reached out to its members and many social media supporters for prayers and financial help for Raife. The response was tremendous and Raife became one of the most popular pups on the SEVA GRREAT website and Face Book page. To this day, everyone at SEVA GRREAT feels like Raife is ‘their’ pup. Fortunately, his family understands.

His surgery costs were

Gettying back to normal less than originally estimated because the neurosurgeon did not participate in the operation. The surgery was a success and Raife came through the operation very well.

In late June 2017 Raife suffered an unrelated setback to his recovery. One evening his foster mom noticed Raife was unable to stand, he fell over every time he tried to stand up. She rushed him to the ER where he was taken in by a stretcher. The doctors performed several tests, they were unsure he would survive through the night. He was eventually diagnosed with IMPA (immune-mediated polyarthritis). It is an abnormal immune response by the body directed at the joints. Raife was suffering from swelling and pain in all his joints. His doctors adjusted his medications and he responded quickly.

Raife was officially adopted by his forever family in April 2018. Today he is a healthy, happy typical Golden Retriever, living a typical Golden life with his forever family.

Raife is a typical Golden Retriever with all the Golden traits and is beloved by all, his family, friends and supporters that went through this journey with him.

This is Raife today!