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Hello. My name is Natalie. Through a strange turn of events I am unable to tell you about, I found myself in the Denver Animal Shelter completely unable to walk. The people who brought me in said they thought I had been hit by a car. These people offered to pay for my medical care and adopt me, but the shelter folks convinced them it would cost too much and there were other dogs they could adopt for less money. Sitting in the shelter, I felt like my days were numbered if I couldn’t walk. I tried to keep my spirits up and hoped for the best, but it was getting bleak and I was starting to lose hope. The folks at Dalmatian Rescue found out I was there and sent this nice person down to pick me up to take me to Harrison Memorial Hospital. I was so happy to see her as I only had a couple hours before I was told I would be put to sleep. The wonderful vets at Harrison examined me and took x-rays and a scan of my spine. They found I had nothing wrong with my back from the scans. They said I had nerve damage and could only wait and see what happened. My new person took me home with her and put me under a tree in the yard with a soft cushion to lie on. It was so nice to breathe fresh air, enjoy the smells and meet the neighbors, but I still couldn’t walk. A day later, my person took me to a very nice chiropractic vet in Loveland, Dr. Dave McClain. He was not optimistic about my recovery because the nerve damage was so severe and I had no muscle tone in my rear legs and tail. He examined me and gave me an acupuncture and chiropractic treatment, and suggested I try to swim for therapy. Throughout this whole ordeal, I was never snappy or disagreeable with my people because I knew they were trying to help me. Within hours of coming home from Dr. McClain, I tried to walk a couple steps. By the next day, I felt good enough to walk a few more steps. This is how I progressed over the next 3 days – one shaky, uncertain step at a time. My new person took me to swim for therapy at Cherry Creek Reservoir and in the Highline Canal and she got right in with me to help me out. It was a shock for both of us!! I was to see Dr. McClain five days later and I could now take about 5-7 awkward steps at a time. When I saw Dr. Dave, he was so pleasantly surprised at my progress. He gave me a quick chiropractic adjustment on one of the discs in my back and I quite literally took off running! And I haven’t stopped since then! Thanks to Dal Rescue and especially my person who was only supposed to be my foster home! Natalie |
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