Paralyzed dog is walking by himself!!!

[CountryMom]

 

[PortageGirl]

So glad he's doing better!!!

Lots of people would have just euthanized him right off the bat. Glad your friend gave it a go!

Are you (he) supporting Zippy's middle with a towel or something to help his balance a bit? I read the thread through but maybe I missed that. It may not be recommended due to the location of the injury, but my friends had a recovering dog and thats how they took her out for bathroom breaks.

Hope he continues improving!!

 

[BeardedChick]

Quote:
Yes - he has a proper walking sling but Zippy won't try to walk in it. So he's crawling along supporting Zippy with his hands for now... He said he crawled through the mud with him, but it was totally worth it!

Loco...

 

[rooster0209]

perfectly awesome

 

[PortageGirl]

Quote:
Yes - he has a proper walking sling but Zippy won't try to walk in it. So he's crawling along supporting Zippy with his hands for now... He said he crawled through the mud with him, but it was totally worth it!

Loco...

hehe... yeah, that's sweet. Too bad he doesn't like the sling but... your friend is a real keeper!!! Give him a big hug from me, must be a great guy.

 

[Solsken Farm]

Quote:

It is so wonderful to hear this!!!!!!!!!!!! Sweet zippy and you loving, loyal helpers! His will and your efforts made this happen. He will continue to make gains. Just do NOT let him on any furniture so that he might jump down and re-injure himself.

This is just fantastic.

 

[Pupsnpullets]

I'm glad your friend didn't give up on Zippy. Mother Nature, with a little help from us, is a GREAT healer!

My lab/greyhound mix injured her neck in a bad fall at Thanksgiving 05, and while we didn't realise the extent of the injury at the time, within a few months the vet had given me 4 days worth of pain pills and told me to have a decision for him by then - $5,000 worth of surgery which had a 50/50 chance of success or the permanent (cheaper) option. I couldn't afford the surgery and decided to explore chiropractic care, doggy massage and homeopathy. Just over 3 years down the track my dog is still going strong. She will always have some co-ordination problems due to spinal damage, and she has some arthritis in the neck, but she has a good quality of life still and that's what is important.

It seems to me Zippy, too, is going to do well with all the TLC he's getting. Dogs are so worth it

 

[BeardedChick]

Zippy had acupuncture last week, we don't know if that helped or not - but he's scheduled for it again tomorrow.

My friend already put a thin mattress on the floor at home so Zippy can safely sleep on the bed at night.

Zippy will still be on the furniture, the furniture will just have to get closer to the ground.

He also ordered a veterinary text book on canine rehabilitation that he's reading through. It was $80, but it's a really good book. I'd highly recommend it for anyone else who might end up with this situation.

 

[Pupsnpullets]

How's Zippy doing now?

 

[BeardedChick]

My friend took Zippy to a PT in Albuquerque Monday, and they walked him on the water mill. He came home with lots of new exercises to do. Zippy's walking is slowly improving. He's walking through simple weave courses and stepping over small items to help him learn to pick up his feet. My friend said walking in a couple inches of fresh snow is actually really good because it also is helping Zippy learn to pick up his feet.

I have a short video I will put online one of these days from last weekend, and will likely get another video this weekend for comparison of how he's improving.

Thanks for all the well-wishes!