Doberman puppy brain damage

Question
Because we had heard Dobermans were prone to ear infections if their ears were not cropped, I made the horrible decision to crop my 10 week old puppies ears. The procedure went fine, but at the end when she was supposed to recover, she stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest. They were able to revive her, but she suffered from severe brain damage. She at first could not move at all, later that night she weakly blinked. The following morning, she was barking and crying, and could blink fully, just not when she was supposed to. She is unresponsive to everything around her. Later that night she was also able to move a leg. The next two days passed and she has not shown any signs of recovery. The only improvement has been that (though rarely) her eyes will clear up and looks like she is aware of what is happening, but then her eyes fog back over. I have called other vets, and the message has always gone one of two ways. Some say there is no hope. Others say that she has a good chance to recover, though it may be slow, because she is a puppy and her brain has a more likely chance to heal, and that as long as she is making little progressions she might have a shot at recovering. I don't want to give up on my little girl, and as it is 3 days away from being a week and she hasn't shown progress the last two days, I am worrying that she will not make any more improvements. I have trying researching and there is very little information as to similar cases and what the outcomes were. I just don't know what to expect or what to do. I would appreciate any input. Thank you

Answer
Hi Sierra,

Thank you for writing to me about your puppy.  I'm so sorry that this happened.  Unfortunately your vet messed up big time.  I don't know your location but it would be helpful if you coudl find a specialist in brain injury trauma and have them examine your dog.  The sooner you decide on a program to help your dog recover, if at all possible, the better.  I am not a vet and I have not dealt with traumatic brain injury but I have a great deal of confidence in the merging of traditional and alternative medicine.  Your dog is going to need both if recovery is in the picture and your vet should be the one to pay for it.  You can start by requesting that he do so but if he won't, you can report him to the state education dept that issues his license to practice and then take him to court to get reimbursed for what it costs you to help your dog.  You should also be reimbursed all that you paid for this procedure, which was a failure on all counts.

So here is what I looked up for you.  I went immediately to human traumatic brain injury and some things did come up that are of interest:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/19/health/fish-oil-brain-injuries

http://tbirecovery.org/Alternatives.html

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-04/uomh-bip033103.php

The brain is young as you said and has the possibility of other parts that were not injured to pick up the tasks from the injured part of the brain..but...and this is crucial..you must stimulate that part of the brain through a series of approaches...touch (touching your dog, massaging, etc to stimulate the brain), exercise (water therapy, etc), supplements especially fish oil, acupuncture (which can stimulate nerve pathways include the brain).  Talking to your dog to stimulate hearing.  Oxygen kept coming up..if you can find a way to increase his oxygen intake..you will have to speak with a specialist about this....

My email is szukidavis@aol.com if you want to stay in touch so if I find out more information I can email it to you directly. You will have to give me your email address of course so I know where to send things to.  

I hope you can make progress in this terrible tragedy.

Shelley Davis