- 1,314
- Australia
Passage by Doctor Robert Miller:
Once, I attended a German shepherd that had been hit by a car. Its back had been broken and its spinal cord severed. The poor dog was paraplegic, and the owners refused to accept what had happened. They pleaded for us to try. We explained the permanency and the hopelessness of the injury, but they kept the dog in the hospital where we fed it, and nursed it, and cleaned up after it. After a couple of weeks, the shepards hindquarters were quite atrophied, but the owners could not bring themselves to put him to sleep. He is so alert, and his front end seems so normal, they rationalised. Yet they would not take him home. Somehow, they hoped that a miracle would occur, and they would come to the hospital to see their friend, and the doctor would say, I have good news for you. Teddys paralysis is improving, and we think that he will be able to walk again.
I found it difficult to stay in the ward when the family came to visit the dog. He whined softly to them, his eager licking and his intelligent brown eyes telling of his distress at being separated from them, of his loneliness and pain.
When Teddys cage was cleaned, he was transferred to a pen. He would pathetically drag his paralysed body around the pen, using his strong forelegs.
One day, while teddy was in the pen, I saw a sight that startled me and chocked me with emotion. Teddy was standing on his forelimbs. His paralysed, withered hind end dangled uselessly, and he balanced, standing, on his forelegs. By the next day, Teddy was walking. He balanced on his forearms and walked around the pen.
The brave dogs family came to see him. They silently watched their pet lift himself up and walk to them, his paralysed rear half swinging from side to side.
Thats disgusting, said the man.
Horrible! said the wife.
Lets put him to sleep. I cant stand to watch that.
Once, I attended a German shepherd that had been hit by a car. Its back had been broken and its spinal cord severed. The poor dog was paraplegic, and the owners refused to accept what had happened. They pleaded for us to try. We explained the permanency and the hopelessness of the injury, but they kept the dog in the hospital where we fed it, and nursed it, and cleaned up after it. After a couple of weeks, the shepards hindquarters were quite atrophied, but the owners could not bring themselves to put him to sleep. He is so alert, and his front end seems so normal, they rationalised. Yet they would not take him home. Somehow, they hoped that a miracle would occur, and they would come to the hospital to see their friend, and the doctor would say, I have good news for you. Teddys paralysis is improving, and we think that he will be able to walk again.
I found it difficult to stay in the ward when the family came to visit the dog. He whined softly to them, his eager licking and his intelligent brown eyes telling of his distress at being separated from them, of his loneliness and pain.
When Teddys cage was cleaned, he was transferred to a pen. He would pathetically drag his paralysed body around the pen, using his strong forelegs.
One day, while teddy was in the pen, I saw a sight that startled me and chocked me with emotion. Teddy was standing on his forelimbs. His paralysed, withered hind end dangled uselessly, and he balanced, standing, on his forelegs. By the next day, Teddy was walking. He balanced on his forearms and walked around the pen.
The brave dogs family came to see him. They silently watched their pet lift himself up and walk to them, his paralysed rear half swinging from side to side.
Thats disgusting, said the man.
Horrible! said the wife.
Lets put him to sleep. I cant stand to watch that.
hang on I'll be back, there goes my mind. "hey get back here you little"
One of my dogs got hit by a car once, luckly he didn't get paralized. He had to get his front right leg amputated, his back right leg gets a bit sore now and then, but hes a happy dog still, just more lazy now, but maybe thats because hes getting old.
