Doc is a senior German Shepherd that was surrendered by his owners because he couldn’t walk and they couldn’t take care of him. Sadly, he was dumped at a high-kill shelter, and because of his condition, he was quickly put on the list of dogs to be put to sleep. He was already a senior and was paralyzed, it was unlikely that someone would come in and adopt him.
Fortunately, though, someone did come in.
Degenerative myelopathy
A woman named McKenzie was in the shelter the day that Doc was about to be euthanized. She felt sorry for the dog and decided to give him another chance. So she took the senior pooch from the shelter with the intent of fostering him until she could find someone that would adopt the dog and take care of him in his twilight years. She knew that this could be a very difficult task, but she just couldn’t let him die that day.
Together with her fiance, Grant, she took the dog home, gave the dog a good long bath, and fed him. For most of his stay, they showered Dov with attention, back rubs, and toys.
The next day, they took Doc to a vet. They were concerned about his protruding spine and wanted to know what was really wrong with him. After a series of tests, the bad news came. The vet said that Doc has degenerative myelopathy. It is actually a progressive disease that affects the spinal cord and is incurable. It degenerates the white matter in the spinal cord which causes paralysis in the hind limbs.
The vet’s recommendation is euthanasia.
McKenzie couldn’t help but break down. Doc has become close to her heart that she couldn’t bear thinking of letting him die. She decided to give the senior dog another 24 hours to make his last day very happy.
A pleasant surprise
The couple took the dog home and set up an outside picnic for her. They wanted to show her a good time before they have to go back the next day to a vet. While they were having their picnic, they decided to help the disabled dog walk, just to let him remember the times when he could. They took a piece of cloth and made it into a sling to support his hind legs.
And to their surprise, the dog started moving his legs while it was up in the air. It seemed that he was trying to walk. McKenzie was so happy that she decided there and then to keep Doc and cancel his appointment the next day. From then on, they would do the exercise every day.
Soon enough, Doc’s rear legs got stronger and he was able to walk without any support.
He may not walk normally like before, but it seemed that at least he has found a way to be happy again.
Source: The Dodo via Youtube
