Adorable Peaches has shown us not to count her out just because she cannot use her rear legs. The spinal surgery that Dr. King performed was to stabilize her spine. We knew she would not get feeling back in her rear section because too much time had passed since her injury. Her recovery has been consistent with a spinal injury dog that did not have deep pain when we rescued her.
Too many people misinterpret a slight twitch or jerk as deep pain. The only way to determine if an animal has lost deep pain is by using forceps to clamp down on the foot or toe. Typically, this would cause significant pain that could cause the animal to react by pulling away or biting the person to make it stop. Peaches did not react other than to look at the person, wondering what they were doing.
In addition to not having deep pain, Peaches has minimal anal tone. We express her bladder and bowels every couple of hours to keep her comfortable. She tolerates her process very well and is not showing any signs of discomfort or aggression. Our next step in her recovery is having her fitted for a rear cart. She still has function in her front legs and should be able to pull herself around when her cart arrives.
We have saved many dogs with spinal injuries that have gone on to live extraordinarily long lives. Animals adapt far better than humans when it comes to significant injuries. As long as the paralyzed dog has a person that takes care of their bathroom needs, they learn to run and play in their carts as if they have four good legs.
Sweet Peaches is going to be one of those special pups that move past her trauma into a Life filled with a Family that loves and adores her. If you think you might be that Family, please reach out to us, and we will tell you everything you need to know about her care. In the meantime, Peaches will be learning how to use her cart once it arrives and being spoiled rotten by our excellent Staff.
We are still raising funds to cover her spinal procedure and her ER care in addition to her custom cart. Any amount would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for giving this precious puppy the Gift of Life. Your love and support is greatly appreciated.
