Gun Mutt,
One of my favorite pups on the planet was a Border Collie named Ballard that belonged to close climbing buddy of mine. He was named after a 13er near where we live. His owner and I spent months upon months, collectively, traveling about on various cragging road trips. And Ballard was always a fixture on those. He was one of the smartest and most athletic dogs I've ever known.
In his early teens, Ballard had two strokes over the course of a month. He was unable to stand, but could drag himself about a bit using his front legs. His head hung to one side. The prognosis was poor, however John, his owner, wasn't ready to give up and nursed him for the coming weeks. The dog, to all of our surprise, began regaining some capability in his rear legs. And fast forward 6 months, was running about, chasing his beloved frisbee with little to no evidence of what he'd been through.
Ballard has since passed due to natural causes. He lived to 15 or thereabouts. But suffice it to say that dogs are SUPER resilient creatures. And with love and patience can rebound from some very poor odds.
Good luck to you and Jesse.
BTW, here's a quick pic of Ballard AFTER his strokes with his favorite toy...