Healing HEART Sanctuary: A Place Where Special Animals Are Welcome

At a recent pet adoption fair that Michael, Dewey, Tulip and I attended, we discovered an amazing animal rescue group that is devoted exclusively to disabled animals - talk about an organization after my own heart!

Healing HEART Sanctuary is currently based in Kanab, Utah (although they hope to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area at some point in the future), and is home to a colorful cast of permanent residents. They include Dorie, a cheerful white goat with two amputated back legs, Precious, a Rottweiler mix who sustained a broken back as a puppy, and Eaton, a three-footed African Sulcata Tortoise.

Additionally, Healing HEART strives to re-home special needs animals such as Scooter-Boots, an affectionate tuxedo cat with hind leg paralysis. Scooter-Boots likes to chase dogs around in her wheelchair, and is particularly fond of extended ear scratching sessions. Click here to get adoption information about this special kitty and learn why one of her nicknames is "Miss Manners."

A key component of Healing HEART's approach is to match children and teens who are physically, mentally, or emotionally challenged with the sanctuary's disabled animals. The idea is that the youth who are involved with the animals' recovery/rehabilitation process can learn "that happiness need not be dependent upon circumstances" and get to experience joy, gratitude, and love.

After meeting Executive Director Laura Bradshaw in person, and reading more about her incredible vision, it's clear to me that Healing HEART is a labor of love in the truest sense. I encourage all of my fellow animal lovers to visit the Healing HEART website (http://www.healingheartsanctuary.org/) and get acquainted with this wonderful organization!

"Strong In Spirit" Motorcycle Ride Raises Awareness & Funds For Special Needs Animals

Yesterday David DiNicola embarked on a ten day, 4,000 mile motorcycle journey from Massachusetts to California in order to raise awareness and funds for special needs animals. David's inspiration for the ride came from his late rescued German Shepherd, KaDee, who used a custom wheelchair from Eddie's Wheels during the last few years of her life.

David hopes to raise $100,000 for two animal welfare organizations: The Berkshire Humane Society, where he first adopted KaDee as a puppy, and the Catskill Animal Sanctuary, which provides a safe haven for abused and abandoned farm animals, including a blind calf named Helen and Atlas the goat, who also uses an set of Eddie's Wheels to get around.

You can follow David's cross-country ride here: http://casanctuary.org/events/strong-in-spirit

Paralyzed Dachshund Resource: Dogerslist's Intervertebral Disc Disease DVD

Last month Frankie's mom told us about this useful DVD from Dogerslist that was created with Dachshund parents in mind. It has detailed information about caring for dogs like our Greta, who are affected by Intervertebral Disc Disease, and includes tips for crate rest and step by step instructions for bladder expression. Best of all, the DVD is just $3.00 (including shipping!). Click here to order.

Celebrating 5 Years With Greta!

Five years ago this week, our beautiful Dachshund Greta joined our family in the fall of 2005. Here are some pictures of her over the past five years, including some from her pre-paralysis days. Even though Greta has lost her sight and mobility since we first adopted her, we will never give up on her. She is a cherished member of our pack and her precious spirit has made an impact that will grace our lives forever. Click here to read Greta's full story!

The Odds Are Improving For Disabled Pets

This article has great news for those of us who love special needs pets since it affirms that disabilities among our furry friends are becoming increasingly accepted by US society at large.

Paralyzed Lucy Rolls To The Top

Here's a happy tail that is sure to warm your heart: Back in August, a four year old rescue pooch named Lucy became the very first paralyzed dog in New Hampshire history to ascend Mt. Washington. It took six hours, but Lucy had plenty of support and encouragement along the way - her humans, Courtney and Justin, and her best canine pal, Topper, were on hand to help her complete the journey. Lucy was outfitted in a Walkin' Wheels doggie wheelchair from Handicapped Pets with her own custom licence plate. Have a look at the inspiring video of Lucy's climb:

Dogs With Disabilities

The dog lovers behind www.dogswithdisabilities.com have unique insights to share about disabled pooches; they have cared for several dogs with neurological disorders and can attest that special needs pups are able to enjoy a top-notch quality of life. Here's an excerpt from the homepage:

Dogs with disabilities:

• Don't feel sorry for themselves
• Don't know they're disabled
• Are accepting of what life has to offer
• Accept as much help as their pride can take
• Take each day as it comes
• Don't worry if we love them, they know we do
• Enjoy life just like other dogs (just not as rambunctiously)
• Don't fear the future or worry about the past
• Make every effort to do what they can to their maximum potential
• Are not a burden, but a joy and a reason to slow down our own hectic lives
  

Check out www.dogswithdisabilities.com for more encouragement and resources!

Caring For A Paralyzed Dog

Since my own family includes a special needs Dachshund, Greta, I know firsthand that paralyzed dogs can enjoy fantastic, fulfilling lives, so don't let anyone try to tell you otherwise! Dogs with impaired mobility do require some extra care, however. Here are some tips to help keep your paralyzed dog happy, healthy, and comfortable:

Hydrotherapy

Warm baths can be wonderfully therapeutic for paralyzed dogs. If your pooch is small (like our paralyzed Dachshund, Greta), you can easily do hydrotherapy at home in the bathtub. Greta takes baths several times a week for about 30 minutes at a time. These soaking sessions help to stimulate her circulation and diminish joint strain by making her back legs buoyant. For large dogs, there are an increasing number of hydrotherapy centers around the country. Click here for a list of providers who are registered with the Association of Canine Water Therapy.

Skin Care

When a dog's back legs are immobilized and they sit/lay in the same position for long periods of time, they become susceptible to sores and skin ulcers. Therefore, it's essential to provide plenty of padding for your pooch. Our paralyzed Dachshund Greta has a number of different beds in order to keep her comfortably cushioned throughout the day and night. Click here for more information about preventing bed sores and skin ulcers.

Bladder Expression

Paralyzed dogs typically don't have bladder control, so it's necessary to manually empty their bladders by expressing them. The thought of doing this several times a day can be incredibly daunting to those with newly paralyzed pets, but I can assure you that it becomes very easy over time and it's really no big deal! Handicapped Pets has step-by-step instructions for expressing a dog's bladder and you can also click here for a previous post that details my own method for Greta.

Assisted Mobility

Many paralyzed dogs are great candidates for wheelchairs and there are a number of excellent companies that specialize in creating carts for dogs with disabilities. Since no one knows your pooch better than you do, you can also build a custom set of wheels for your best friend. Check out Handicapped Pets' DIY dog wheels page for instructions and templates.

Dagnabit The Disabled Dog Keeps On Rollin'

Dagnabit came from humble origins, but these days he's well on well on his way to stardom. Earlier this year, he beat out 32,000 contestants to win the Humane Society of The United States' annual Spay Day pet photo contest.

In the entry accompanying Dagnabit's winning photo, his mom, Kim Dudek wrote "We've been thru it all together! Dag was stolen and made to fight and had his ears cut off. We survived Katrina and his disability. Dag's spirit inspires me to make the most out of every moment, every day."

This resilient Pit Bull also inspired Kim to create a canine rehab center in his name: Dag's House provides rehabilitation and boarding services for special needs dogs in New Orleans.

Click here to read more about Dagnabit's incredible story.

Purdue University Offers Hope For Paralyzed Dogs (And Humans)

With help from disabled dogs like Bo the Cocker Spaniel, the Purdue Center for Paralysis Research is pioneering new treatments and technology for humans and canines with spinal cord injuries. Over the past 15 years, the Center for Paralysis Research has been operating in partnership with with the Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine in Indiana. During that time, they have conducted ground-breaking research with dozens of paralyzed dogs.

For instance, Dr. Richard Borgens has shown that spinal cord nerve fibers will grow when exposed to a steady, low-grade electrical field. This discovery has led to the application of electrical fields over the injury to the spinal cord using an implantable device called an Extraspinal Oscillating Field Stimulator (OFS).

Twiggy is a five year old Dachshund who experienced the sudden onset of hind limb paralysis due to vertebral disc herniation. As anyone who shares their home with a Dachshund knows, this is a terrifyingly common scenario; three years ago this July, the same thing happened out of the blue to our Greta.

Fortunately for Twiggy, she was able to receive treatment at Purdue and the implantation of an OFS allowed her to regain the use of her hind legs!

The Center for Paralysis Research has also had great success using Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) to restore nerve impulse conduction and recovery of sensory and motor functions dependent on those nerve impulses in dogs with severe spinal cord injuries. When PEG is injected directly into the site of the spinal injury within 48 hours, it can effectively form a sealing film across the breaks in the nerve fiber membranes. Consequently, PEG rescues the nerve processes from further degeneration, facilitating rapid recoveries in function after a spinal injury.

With such great results, it's easy to imagine that folks with paralyzed dogs would be flocking to Purdue for treatment. Unfortunately, they are not currently accepting any more dogs for clinical trials. The Center for Paralysis Research is still a great resource, however. Click here for their information about Intervetebral Disc Disease and tips on post-surgical home care.