Suddenly paralyzed, Rufus doggedly learns to walk again
By Sharon L. Peters, USA TODAY

One year ago this week, my big old Rufus walked again.

It may seem odd that I’d comment on a dog walking. But for weeks he had been paralyzed from the shoulders back. And there was some possibility he’d remain that way.

This is a story about how we don’t always know our pets as well as we think we do. They can draw on reserves we never knew existed and teach lessons in bravery and determination we never expected. It is the tale of a stray dog who landed where he was loved, and developed the fierceness of a lion when asked.

The Saturday before Christmas 2007, Rufus, the malamute/shepherd mix I’d adopted three years earlier from the shelter, was suddenly, inexplicably paralyzed from his shoulders back. Without warning, his rear legs had simply gone limp as noodles as he played in the snow. No movement. No feeling. Vet visits and discussions with a vet neurology specialist diagnosed it as a fibrocartilaginous embolism (FCE), which is, essentially, a spinal cord stroke.

It can happen (for reasons not fully understood) to any dog or breed, but it tends to hit giant or large-breed dogs most often. Depending on where the blockage occurs, a dog can lose a little or all function in one or both legs. Rufus was on the extreme end of function loss — it was both legs and total loss — but he wasn’t as bad as some, as he wasn’t incontinent. About 70% to 80% of afflicted dogs improve; not many get back 100% functionality.

Patience was prescribed. And if we were lucky, he’d regain some or a lot of his ability to walk.
Some experts believe that acupuncture and water therapy can speed the regaining of whatever can be regained and may also usher in a greater level of final-stage functionality. This, however, isn’t a universal belief.

I decided to pursue the more aggressive approach. Rufus is an 85-pounder, so hauling him up and down the porch steps and propping him up to do his business had to end as fast as possible. Also, he’s a dog who had been happiest when walking — 4, 5, and 6 miles a day had been our norm. Moreover, he was now panicked whenever left alone in a room — understandable, given how helpless he must have felt. So getting him ambulatory was crucial.

Still, I really didn’t think he possessed the fight he’d probably need to muscle through all this, and I imagined I’d let him persuade me to drop out of the aggressive approach quickly.
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To learn more how acupuncture can help your dog visit www.fourpawsacupuncture.com

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