//EDITOR’S LETTER –
If you read my editor’s letter last month, you may be surprised to see that I am dedicating yet another letter to the subject of a dog.
As a proud furbaby parent, I would be happy to dedicate every letter to these wonderful animals. However, I tend to reign in my canine obsession for the sake of others who may not share my enthusiasm. But, when I look back at the past month, it has been consumed with one central theme – the wellbeing (or lack thereof) of my dog, Sunny.
Sunny is a very athletic Africanis who loves nothing more than to spend her time racing around the garden, chasing hadedas and patrolling the perimeter. Unlike her sister, a pug, she is rarely ill and pretty much only sees the vet for her yearly vaccinations.
And so, it came as more of a shock when I raced outside very early one Monday morning to discover that the high pitched yelping I was hearing was not from the accident-prone pug but Sunny. She had collapsed on the grass, and her back leg was lame. Our first thought was a snake bite (though unlikely in the middle of winter) and then that she had possibly broken her leg.
We raced her to the emergency vet, where X-rays showed no fractures and the examination of her legs no puncture marks.We then took her to our usual vet, who immediately referred us to a vet who specialises in spinal issues, as she suspected a prolapsed disc.
All three of us – pet parents and pup – were in a right state by this stage, but the specialist vet, Dr Zambelli, did a fantastic job of calming us through his professionalism and comprehensive neurological examination. And even made us laugh – after, have you ever heard of a vet who is allergic to animals?
He immediately ruled out the possibility of a prolapsed disc and gave us a laundry list of other issues – physical, viral, bacterial – that could have caused Sunny’s symptoms.The only way to know the exact diagnosis was to do a battery of tests, including a spinal tap, and to admit her to hospital for specialised care.
The three days Sunny was in hospital were some of the hardest we’ve experienced in a couple of years full of hard experiences.We held our breath as each test came back and then breathed a sigh of relief when some particularly nasty viruses and bacteria were discounted one after the other. In the end, Sunny was diagnosed with an FCE – an embolism in her spine (much like a stroke) that led to the paralysis of one of her back legs. And just like a stroke victim, there was the possibility that she may never be able to use that leg again.
But Sunny is a fighter and is loathe to sit still – two things which have stood her in excellent stead over the last four weeks of her recovery. Oh, there were lots of tears – especially in the first week when she couldn’t turn herself over in bed or looked so confused as to why she was unable to jump on the sofa anymore – but there have been even more triumphs.
After one physio session, she had learnt how to stand up again without help; by week two, her balance on her back legs was improving, and by week three, she could stand on her hind legs and look out the window. At her most recent physio session, she ran through an obstacle course with barely an issue and had all of us astonished at her progress. In the last few days, we have allowed her her freedom again, confident that she is sure-footed enough now not to hurt herself tootling around the garden.With her independence, her confidence has skyrocketed, as have the smiles and tail wags.
She’s still not 100% better. She has a slightly odd gait, gets tired easily, and still can’t jump on the bed, but watching her running around, really makes me think she’s a miracle dog. I said as much to a friend, who replied: “The thing with dogs is that they don’t feel sorry for themselves.They just pick themselves up and get on with it”.
It’s so true. And while the last month has been incredibly hard, our miracle dog has proven to be such an inspiration to everyone who knows her – and, heaven knows, we could all do with some hope and inspiration at the moment! When things feel particularly hard, I look at Sunny and remember that determination, persistence, and hope will always get you far further than you think they will.
Stay safe everyone Nicky