Good NewsHank the dog, once paralyzed, takes first steps on road to recovery
This fluffy white canine, sometimes referred to as "The Dog Beautiful," was developed by nineteenth-century German immigrants to the United States. She was created from German Spitz and Italian Spitz varieties, so it's no surprise that early breeders called her the American Spitz. In 1917, she took on the name American Eskimo Dog, or Eskie for short.
A freak accident left a dog paralyzed five months ago. Last week, he started walking again.
Molly's dog, 6-year-old Hank, missed the front seat when jumping into her car and smacked his hind legs against the side of the car.
The resulting injury left the dog, who previously suffered with hip dysplasia, unable to walk.
"I can't remember how everything went because my head was throbbing but I do remember the relief when he said there was no break," Molly wrote of their first visit to the vet following the accident. "It wasn't disc disease. Just spinal swelling, and while we had a long road ahead of us he thought there was a 60/40 chance he would recover enough to walk."
Hank stayed at the veterinarian's office for a week.
When he was allowed to return home to Molly, he was in need of constant care. Friends purchased a wheelchair for Hank to get around in.
"Most dogs recover. They regain sensation from the back to the front, which means full use of his tail will come first. Then he will be able to stand on purpose. Then regain full control of his bladder and bowels. Then he will walk," Molly wrote on her blog.
Sure enough, Hank eventually started wagging his tail.
And then, last week, Hank started walking again.
"After 5 months, the big man decided he walks now," Molly wrote in her most recent blog post. "Which means he can finally go potty outside. Which makes my life 100% less stressful."
