I wanted to share a story with you that is close to my heart. It is a story of hope, courage, persistence, love, inspiration and never giving up!
On August 9, 2011 my dog Boo was completely paralyzed in his hind legs from IVDD (Intervertebral disk disease). He was one day from his 4th birthday and the vet informed us that there was nothing they could do for him. She told us that the most humane thing to do would be to put him down.
Watch Boo’s video and see what happened!
My family and I were completely devastated. We could not understand how this funny, loving, full of life dog, could suddenly be taken from us. We trusted our vet and felt she was being completely honest with us, but we just were not ready to face this reality. We needed time to think and process everything that was happening, so we decided to bring Boo home and make a decision as a family as far as what would be in the best interest for Boo.
We did not want him to suffer or take away his quality of life. We were worried his spirit would be broken because of this.
As we started talking about our options, one of my daughters said, “If I ended up paralyzed you wouldn’t end my life, so why would you even consider doing it to Boo?”
That struck a cord with me, and deep down I knew this was not the end of the road for Boo! I jumped online and started researching hoping to find other people who experienced what we were going through.
I stumbled upon Dodger’s List and found that there were hundreds of people dealing with the exact same issue. The biggest thing that jumped out at me was the inspirational stories of the dogs who ended up walking again even after being completely paralyzed!
There was HOPE!
Isn’t it funny how just a glimmer of hope can reignite that flame inside of you!
My biggest concern was…………. what if he never regains the use of his legs?
I found many stories about dogs who did not recover the use of their legs, they were given a set of wheels fitted for them to attach on their hind quarters. Kind of like a doggie wheelchair. This gave them the ability to still run and be mobile.
At first I thought this may be kind of cruel and felt I would be taking away Boo’s quality of life if it were to come down to this.
Then I met a woman who had to make that choice for her dog, She said her dog never skipped a beat. He got around with the wheels just like he would with his legs.
I realized that dogs do not view life like humans do. They do not see the wheels as a disability or hindrance. They will choose life every time at any cost. They just live in the moment, not dwelling on what sets them apart from other dogs. They accept whatever comes their way and always see the silver lining!
What a concept!
I have always felt that animals can teach us some of life’s greatest lessons.
They love us unconditionally, live in the moment, never judge, never feel sorry for themselves or their differences, never hold a grudge, they are courageous, and the words I CAN’T or IT IS NOT POSSIBLE are not in their vocabulary!!
I experienced this while we were trying to help Boo on his recovery. The initial week of it happening he did experience some pain but after that, his same goofy, fun loving personality returned.
The hardest part of the process was keeping him crated for 8 weeks. He could only come out to eat and go potty. His recovery was dependent upon this.
How was I going to keep a dog that was constantly under foot, full of energy and had to be a part of whatever was going on completely crated? I am not going to lie, Boo did whine on and off and would look at us with those big brown eyes, but we all stuck to the plan. We knew if Boo could have a chance to walk again, we had to follow through.
I think deep down Boo knew this too. He just got a ton of extra hugs and kisses which he gladly endured!
He continued to remind us daily that no matter what the outcome was, he would be okay. He completely trusted us through the whole process and never felt sorry for himself. He would act as if he was completely normal.
Once the 8 weeks was over and we were able to start his rehabilitation, he openly accepted whatever challenge that came up. He never once got discouraged. Slowly but surely, he regained the use of his legs.
Nowadays, when he runs he uses both legs at the same time and hops like a bunny. He never regained the muscle tone he had in his hind legs, or the muscle tone he had in his stomach, but that has never slowed him down. He goes to the park daily with his Vizsula brother and other dog friends and although he is the smallest of the group, he still runs, plays and of course thinks he is the boss of the park!
Here are some video clips of Boo I took recently at the park with my cell phone. You cannot watch it without smiling because you can see that this dog is absolutely living life to the fullest!
What a world it would be if we all took a few lessons from our pets!
Do you have a pet who inspires you?
With Love and Gratitude,
Beth
PS: After Boo regained the use of his legs and our vet walked this journey with us, she totally changed her protocol. She now educates people about how IVDD works, the rehabilitation process and most of all gives them HOPE! Many dogs have been saved because of Boo!