Sharing a Smile! He Walked Again…

In part, if not totally, our journey was a commitment to making Americans smile! Therefore, when Spike recovered from his unfortunate collapse that left him paralyzed, we had nothing but smiles to share with people when he began to walk again!

Helping others who may experience a similar tragedy:

As of yet, there is still no answer as to why Spike became paralyzed.

The wonderfully inquisitive and exceptionally trained North Carolina veterinarian, Dr. Jenny, carried out extensive testing and research to determine the cause of Spike’s condition. Her initial observation and recommendations were that we should prepare for the worst. Spike’s initial recovery looked grim.

After his three-day stay at the vet, we headed to Georgia to keep Spike with his “cousin” Tank. Tank is a retired big-baby pit-bull of 13 years, who did nothing but observe and care for Spike. Every morning he came and nudged and checked Spike’s responses. Some nights, Tank never left Spike’s side and he even let us know when Spike was in pain.

Recommendations for Recovery

If you experience a similar situation as every situation may differ, of course, a veterinarian’s visit/advice is tantamount, but for home care, these things seemed to comfort Spike:

Keep some of your routine interactions intact.

• Continue to take your dog to see other dogs walking and playing
  • You may hear and see your dog’s anger from not being able to participate—Spike had an angry and high-pitched howl/bark
  • However, for Spike, the opportunity to see other dogs out walking seemed to have a better outcome than
    • me holding him all day
    • changing his bedding
    • washing him multiple times a day and
    • leaving him to look only at me and four walls

We do not know the power of the mind and how dogs utilize their neurological compartments (after all, dogs understand the language of their owners the world over and very few of us from anywhere in the world understand any breed of dogs’ language or languages).

I gave him room temperature lactose-free milk in his bottle—he enjoyed the milk more than water (do not microwave and serve as this can burn your dog’s throat).

Multiple times a day, I sat Spike outside. NOTE: the weather was extremely hot in Georgia and so he was out only for a few minutes at a time AND I had to be very careful, though, of spiders and ants–because, of course, your pet becomes susceptible to their tiny, but potentially painful and poisonous jaws.

Something that seemed to be really significant was that Tank allowed (almost invited) Spike to eat and drink from his bowl and Spike seemed to more interested in doing so until he got better.

And finally, the power of singing!! My mother sang lullabies to Spike when he first fell ill (another family member did the same for his dog with a similar magnificent outcome to Spike’s). I continued to sing the lullabies when I held him. Neurologically, singing can lead to creating a soothing mindset. Additionally, I never forgot the lady who played Metallica for her husband who was in a coma from a coal-mining accident. I thought it amazing as my 1983 high-school science supposition for our Science Symposium was that types of music could help (or hinder) students excel during testing as music can create a mind-map that links to the amygdala—our emotions. Emotions are powerful. And so, as with any recovery, it is a process. Thus, using music as part of a healing process may be a powerful tool. All I can say is that scientifically, prayer, music, touch all make a difference in individuals’ recovery processes…there goes a science research project for you!

Follow the paw prints of science and see what you find…please share!