Posts tagged "ParalyzedDog"

Hot dog! A paralyzed miniature Dachshund in Birmingham, England, has started walking again after taking part in an experimental study at Cambridge Veterinary School.

As first reported by Ananova, six-year-old Henry lost the use of his legs last November, after rupturing discs in his spine. Henry had surgery to ease the pressure on his backbone, but the operation didn't restore his ability to walk. His owner, Sarah Beech, heard about a new therapy for spinal cord injuries being tested at Cambridge, and signed him up. A month later, Henry took his first small step, reports the Telegraph.

Clearly, curing paralysis would be a very big deal indeed, but it's definitely too early to start wagging tails, says Nick Jeffery, a professor of veterinary clinical studies at Cambridge Veterinary School and a co-leader of the study Henry is enrolled in. "We've just started a clinical trial, and there are no results yet," he tells Paw Nation.

The therapy being tested involves removing cells from the junction between the nose and the brain, Jeffery explains. Those cells support the growth of new nerves. "The idea is, you transplant those cells into the spinal cord, and [they will] help the damaged nerve fibers to grow," Jeffrey tells Paw Nation.

Read more about Henry and the study he participated in on the next page.

This is the story of a man's everlasting commitment to his dog.

When Craig Mosher's four year-old pit bull became paralyzed in 2004, he had two choices: "putting Loois down and saying goodbye," Mosher tells Paw Nation, "or working very hard to keep him alive." Since Loois wouldn't quit -- "in his mind, he would not lay down" -- Mosher decided to fight alongside his dog, who he adopted as a 12-week old puppy after nearly being killed as dog fight bait.

Every morning, Mosher, a retired police officer and 27-year Army veteran, gets up at four o'clock in the morning and helps Loois, whose hind legs are paralyzed, relieve himself. "When you have a paraplegic dog, they're unable to go to the bathroom on their own, so you have to express their bladder and bowels for them," Mosher says. A veterinarian taught him the 10-minute procedure, which requires Mosher to place his hands on Loois' inner thighs and squeeze. Mosher then wipes Loois down with warm cloths and carries him to the living room, where he is gently placed on the couch. Mosher does this four times a day.

Breakfast and dinner are some kibble and stew. "I gotta keep his weight down," Mosher explains to Paw Nation. "He's 84 pounds right now."

At bedtime, Mosher carries Loois to his special dog bed -- a twin mattress with a soft, lambswool bed spread -- tucks him in with his favorite chew toy and kisses him goodnight.

Other than a single short trip, Mosher has not been away from his dog for more than five hours at a time since he was paralyzed five years ago. "I've got a Harley-Davidson, and they have a motorcycle club, and I think about traveling and visiting friends, but then I think, 'Nope. I've got Loois and he's more important than anything," says Mosher.

His family, including his three grown sons, wonder how Mosher does it.

"Because I love him," he says. "He's my rock and my best friend. When I got divorced, Loois is what kept me going."