In January 2025, our four-year-old rescue pup, Ozzie, turned paralyzed in simply seconds.
Over the previous two months, my household has struggled with adjusting to Ozzie’s new regular, the place hopes of restoration have gone down and up, and we take every part daily.
That is solely the start of our story, and we now have a protracted highway to restoration forward. I’ll be posting updates totally on Ozzie’s Instagram, however I needed a spot to share how Ozzie got here to be paralyzed, and to share his motivating journey to recuperate.
As a result of that’s what this story is: hopeful and galvanizing.
It’s my hope that this story reaches one other household who may use the encouragement and instance from Ozzie for his or her little four-legged pal. The teachings I’ve discovered usually are not only for our pets although. I’ve discovered a lot hope for my therapeutic in watching our pup try the unimaginable with a wagging tail and goofy grin.
My Squeaking Meatball
Within the midst of the pandemic in 2020, my little canine Meatball handed away. Throughout his previous few years, he was utterly blind. By the point he handed, he had turned senile, and it was troublesome to observe him battle.
By all of it, Meatball taught me quite a bit about adaptability. We study a lot from animals. Let me let you know, Meatball was a resilient teeny tiny fella.
He LOVED rubber duckies. An expensive pal gifted him slightly rubber ducky; it was love at first sight for Meatball. He cherished how the duck would squeak, carrying it round in his mouth.
He did this even whereas blind. As a Boston Terrier, his nostril didn’t stick out farther than his eyeballs. His eyes have been huge, bulgy, and stood out. So, when he first went blind, he saved injuring his eyeballs when he would stroll into issues!
Initially, I assumed I would want to get him some form of cone to assist defend him from damage. However he devised his personal answer and began carrying the rubber ducky in his mouth all over the place he went, as a bumper.
At any time when he would stroll into issues, he the rubber ducky would hit first and squawk, letting him know he wanted to redirect his path. We’d hear him strolling round the home bonk-squeaking safely to his mattress, his meals bowl, or a solar ray.
It was endearing, but in addition sensible. Animals are these superb creatures which might be right here to show us to a lot about love, resilience, and flexibility. And Meatball was simply that.
Assembly Ozzie
When Meatball handed, I had a very onerous time. I informed myself I wouldn’t get one other canine for some time, as I used to be additionally going by life modifications, together with separation, shifting homes, and all that comes with these issues.
Kiddo was six years previous on the time, and I used to be attempting my greatest to assist him adapt to the modifications. In the meantime, a pandemic was nonetheless raging.
However because it occurs with many pet house owners, the second I used to be prepared for a brand new canine simply all of a sudden clicked. Whereas scrolling on an adoption web site, I noticed an image of this cute, scruffy canine full with slightly beard from a rescue referred to as Bone Voyage, which helps homeless canines from Mexico discover properties in Seattle and Vancouver.
I casually appreciated the submit with Ozzie’s picture and afterwards realized that by that motion I had submitted myself as . The following factor , I used to be in love with this little cutie, so I utilized to undertake him.
As a really younger pet, Ozzie was discovered on the aspect of the highway between two cities the place no one lived, apparently deserted. A passerby noticed him and pulled over. He was coated in mites, scabies, and fleas, and the poor pet was ravenous.
On the rescue, they handled him and gave him numerous love. Instantly, he blossomed into this humorous, loving little canine.
After he was sufficiently old for his pictures and had been neutered, they transported him to Canada. On August 6th, 2021, Ozzie was prepared for me to choose up.
Once they handed him to me, he put his little paws round my neck and clung to me. And since that day, we’ve all the time been collectively.
Ozzie Adapts to Canada
Since I work at home, I take Ozzie with me all over the place I am going. Once I first acquired him, I already had a tenting journey booked. Ozzie rapidly discovered himself within the Canadian woods…and he wasn’t so positive about that.
It took him a variety of time to regulate to residing in Canada. And I completely get why! After flying on a airplane and being transported in lots of vehicles to many places, he was fairly dozy in these first few days.
Over the following three weeks, he acquired into loads of mischief and discovered the principles, together with residing with Magic the Cat. As soon as he felt settled, I actually noticed him construct that belief with me and kiddo.
He turned the friendliest remedy canine. Ozzie has such a giant coronary heart and will get together with everybody. He’s not skittish or jumpy; he simply loves each canine and human he sees. When folks come over, particularly those that are going by one thing, he’ll stroll proper over and sit in your foot.
With out saying something, Ozzie tells me when others are upset. If I see him sit on somebody’s foot, I’ll ask, “Are you okay?” and positive sufficient, they might use a hug and a pal.
My greatest pal calls Ozzie a coronary heart canine as a result of he’s so loving he simply burrows proper into your coronary heart.
Right here is Ozzie earlier than his paralysis as my little backyard companion.
Ozzie’s Paralysis
At the start of 2025, I went on a visit in a foreign country. Whereas I used to be away, Ozzie was staying at a pal’s home with their household and their canine. In a bout of pleasure, the opposite canine jumped on his again. There was a snap and a yelp at the moment and the children reported that Ozzie began strolling a bit humorous. He went to his mattress and didn’t stand up once more.
The Surgical procedure Possibility
As soon as Ozzie went to the emergency vet hospital, they confirmed that he had a herniated disk that was inflicting the paralysis. There was a variety of forwards and backwards on whether or not surgical procedure can be proper for him. On the time, he was recognized with stage 4 paralysis, that means he had feeling in his ft and tail, however he couldn’t use his legs, bowel, or bladder.
In line with the vet, he had a superb probability of recovering with surgical procedure, however he additionally had a 60% probability of recovering the usage of his legs with relaxation and medicine.
Right here is Ozzie throughout his time with the vet when issues have been nonetheless very a lot unsure. His vet did some intentions with Ozzie, which gave us all some encouragement when issues weren’t wanting good.
Sadly, Ozzie went into stage 5 paralysis in a single day. He misplaced all feeling in his legs and tail. Now, his probability of recovering the usage of his legs, bladder, and bowels went right down to 10% with treatment and relaxation, and a 50% probability with surgical procedure.
We have been quoted for $12,000 to have the surgical procedure. Having already spent $5,000 on his analysis and therapy, this was crushing information.
After weighing the choices in a single day, we determined to go for the surgical procedure however needed to wait per week to see if he would develop myelomalacia. This can be a situation that may happen after a spinal twine damage, impairing the blood provide and in the end killing the spinal twine. That is extraordinarily painful for the canine, and deadly.
The Highway to Restoration
And whereas we waited out the week, we ended up getting some excellent news: Ozzie had regained some minor feeling in his ft and tail! It was a straight up miracle.
Right now, he nonetheless had no use of his legs. He had a tiny little bit of feeling in his tail and his ft, however they have been deep ache sensations. But, it was an indication that he may in the future stroll once more.
Now that he was getting feeling again, the therapy choices modified. We’d postpone the surgical procedure and sustain with treatment, relaxation, and rehabilitation over the following 4-6 weeks.
Since then, Ozzie has been doing fixed rehabilitation. Within the first month, he required round the clock care, as he couldn’t stroll or pee on his personal and had no management over his bowels. We needed to manually specific his bladder and carry him all over the place. He was very medicated and clearly confused and fearful about what was occurring.
And he’s heavy. With my incapacity, Ozzie is much too heavy for me to hold. Whereas he might not appear like it, he surprises everybody together with his stable chunky physique. He feels extra like a giant canine once you carry him round!
We acquired him a particular harness referred to as the Assist Me Up Harness, and alongside together with his booties, we get him outdoors as a lot as doable. Nevertheless it’s an excessive quantity of labor on my already aching physique and for my household, too.
We’ve been doing what we will at dwelling to assist him regain sensation. We do bicycles together with his legs, therapeutic massage them with a toothbrush, and bounce him on his ft slightly bit utilizing the harness so he can begin to regain feeling.
Ozzie Walks Once more
After virtually a month after his accident, Ozzie went off his steroids, painkillers, and anxiousness meds. Throughout this time, he slowed down his enhancements considerably. He didn’t need to go for any walks and refused to maneuver ahead together with his entrance legs.
After a couple of week, we noticed him lastly put some weight on his again legs and put his ft within the appropriate place. I feel that is when Ozzie actually began to catch on, and we noticed numerous momentum in his therapeutic journey.
Right here he’s 43 days after his paralysis. He’s wagging his tail, wanting cuddles, feeling adventurous, standing on his personal, and strolling together with his little humorous gait.
Assist Ozzie Canine
If you wish to help Ozzie, you are able to do so by supporting my fundraiser right here.
And for those who’d like extra data and to observe together with Ozzie’s journey, I made him his personal account the place you’ll be able to keep updated together with his progress.
