In January 2025 , our four - year - quondam delivery pup , Ozzie , became paralytic in just seconds .
Over the past two months , my family has struggled with adjusting to Ozzie ’s new normal , where hope of recuperation have gone down and up , and we take everything mean solar day by twenty-four hour period .
This is only the get-go of our story , and we have along road to recoveryahead . I ’ll be post updates mostly onOzzie ’s Instagram , but I wanted a home to share how Ozzie came to be paralyzed , and to deal his motivating journey to recover .
Ozzie the summer before his paralysis.
Because that ’s what this tale is : hopeful and inspiring .
It is my hope that this story reaches another family who could use the boost and illustration from Ozzie for their petty four - legged friend . The lessons I have take are not just for our pets though . I have found so much hope for my healing in check our pup attempt the unsufferable with a wagging bottom and goofy grin .
My Squeaking Meatball
In the thick of the pandemic in 2020 , my little hot dog Meatball pass away . During his last few years , he was completely blind . By the time he passed , he had turned doddering , and it was unmanageable to watch him struggle .
Through it all , Meatball taught me a lot about adaptability . We learn so much from animals . countenance me tell you , Meatball was a resilient teeny flyspeck fella .
He LOVED rubber favourite . A pricy friend gifted him a trivial rubber ducky ; it was love at first survey for Meatball . He loved how the duck’s egg would squeak , hold it around in his mouth .
He did this even while blind . As a Boston Terrier , his nose did n’t stick out further than his eyeball . His eyes were giving , bulgy , and stand out . So , when he first went blind , he kept injure his orb when he would take the air into thing !
in the beginning , I thought I would want to get him some sort of retinal cone to help protect him from injury . But he devised his own result and set out comport the rubber ducky in his mouth everywhere he conk , as a bumper .
Whenever he would take the air into thing , he the rubber ducky would shoot first and bitch , letting him know he needed to redirect his path . We would take heed him walking around the household bonk - squeaking safely to his bed , his intellectual nourishment bowl , or a sun ray .
It was endearing , but also vivid . Animals are these amazing creatures that are here to teach us to much about beloved , resiliency , and adaptability . And Meatball was just that .
Meeting Ozzie
When Meatball passed , I had a really difficult metre . I secernate myself I would n’t get another dog for a while , as I was also going through life change , include separation , moving houses , and all that comes with those thing .
Kiddo was six years old at the metre , and I was prove my best to help him conform to the changes . Meanwhile , a pandemic was still raging .
But as it happens with many pet owners , the second I was quick for a Modern firedog just suddenly clicked . While scrolling on an acceptance site , I saw a mental picture of this cute , scruffy dog terminated with a little beard from a rescue called Bone Voyage , which help homeless andiron from Mexico find home in Seattle and Vancouver .
I casually wish the post with Ozzie ’s photograph and afterwards realized that through that action I had submitted myself as concerned . The next thing you know , I was in beloved with this small cutie , so I applied to assume him .
As a very young puppy , Ozzie was found on the side of the route between two towns where nobody hold up , apparently give up . A passerby experience him and pulled over . He was cover in mites , scabies , and fleas , and the poor pup was starving .
At the rescue , they treated him and give him lots of erotic love . straightaway , he blossomed into this funny , loving little weenie .
After he was old enough for his shots and had been spay , they channelize him to Canada . On August 6th , 2021 , Ozzie was ready for me to foot up .
When they pass on him to me , he put his little paws around my neck opening and clung to me . And since that day , we ’ve always been together .
Ozzie Adapts to Canada
Since I work from home , I take Ozzie with me everywhere I go . When I first engender him , I already had a camping head trip booked . Ozzie quickly found himself in the Canadian woods … and he was n’t so certain about that .
It took him a lot of prison term to adjust to living in Canada . And I totally get why ! After flying on a plane and being transported in many elevator car to many locations , he was pretty dozy in those first few days .
Over the next three weeks , he get into plenty of mischief and learned the formula , admit living withMagic the Cat . Once he felt settle , I really saw him build that trustfulness with me and kiddo .
He became the friendly therapy dog . Ozzie has such a large heart and get along with everyone . He ’s not skittish or rocky ; he just loves every weenie and human he sees . When people come over , especially those who are hold out through something , he will walk right over and sit on your foot .
Without say anything , Ozzie tell me when others are upset . If I see him sit around on someone ’s animal foot , I ’ll enquire , “ Are you hunky-dory ? ” and for sure enough , they could use a hug and a friend .
My good friend call off Ozzie a spirit dog because he ’s so loving he just burrows right into your heart .
Here is Ozzie before his paralysis as my little garden fellow traveller .
A post shared by Stephanie Rose ( @garden_therapy )
Ozzie’s Paralysis
At the beginning of 2025 , I went on a trip out of the body politic . While I was away , Ozzie was staying at a friend ’s theater with their family and their dog . In a bout of excitement , the other heel jump on his back . There was a snap and a yelp at that sentence and the kids reported that Ozzie start walking a bit funny . He survive to his bed and did n’t get up again .
The Surgery Option
Once Ozzie went to the emergency vet infirmary , they confirm that he had a herniated disk that was causing the paralysis . There was a lot of back and forth on whether surgery would be ripe for him . At the time , he wasdiagnosed with stage 4 paralysis , meaning he had feeling in his foot and tooshie , but he could n’t use his legs , bowel , or vesica .
According to the veterinarian , he had a sound chance of recovering with surgical process , but he also had a 60 % chance of recovering the use of his legs with rest and medication .
Here is Ozzie during his time with the veteran when things were still very much unsettled . His veterinary surgeon did some intentions with Ozzie , which gave us all some encouragement when thing were n’t looking skillful .
Unfortunately , Ozzie went into microscope stage 5 palsy overnight . He drop off all feeling in his legs and fanny . Now , his chance of recovering the utilization of his legs , bladder , and bowels belong down to 10 % with medicament and respite , and a 50 % chance with OR .
We were quoted for $ 12,000 to have the surgical process . Having already spent $ 5,000 on his evaluation and treatment , this was oppress intelligence .
After count the pick overnight , we determine to go for the surgery but had to await a week to see if he would developmyelomalacia . This is a condition that can occur after a spinal corduroy hurt , impairing the blood line supply and ultimately kill the spinal cord . This is extremely afflictive for the dog , and fatal .
The Road to Recovery
And while we waited out the week , we terminate up getting some good news : Ozzie had retrieve some minor touch in his fundament and derriere ! It was a unbent up miracle .
At this time , he still had no role of his leg . He had a lilliputian bit of smell in his shadower and his feet , but they were deep pain sensations . Yet , it was a sign that he could one twenty-four hours walk again .
Now that he was getting feeling back , the treatment alternative change . We would postpone the OR and keep up with medicine , residue , and rehabilitation over the next 4 - 6 calendar week .
Since then , Ozzie has been doing constant rehabilitation . In the first month , he necessitate pear-shaped - the - clock care , as he could n’t walk or pee on his own and had no control over his intestine . We had to manually express his bladder and carry him everywhere . He was very medicated and clear confused and disturbed about what was happening .
And he is heavy . With my disability , Ozzie is far too heavy for me to have a bun in the oven . While he may not depend like it , he storm everyone with his satisfying chunky body . He feels more like a big weenie when you carry him around !
We fix him a extra harness called theHelp Me Up Harness , and along with his plunder , we get him out of doors as much as possible . But it ’s an uttermost amount of work on my already aching dead body and for my category , too .
We have been doing what we can at home to help him regain sensation . We do bicycles with his peg , massage them with a toothbrush , and take a hop him on his feet a piddling bit using the harness so he can start to find feeling .
A mail shared by Go Ozzie Go ! ( @go.ozzie.go )
Ozzie Walks Again
After almost a month after his chance event , Ozzie run off his steroids , painkillers , and anxiety Master of Education . During this clip , he slowed down his improvements significantly . He did n’t need to go for any walking and refused to move forward with his front leg .
After about a calendar week , we saw him at last put some system of weights on his back legs and put his foot in the correct spot . I think this is when Ozzie really start to get on , and we realize lots of momentum in his healing journey .
Here he is 43 days after his paralysis . He ’s wagging his tail , wanting cuddles , feel adventuresome , stick out on his own , and walk with his little funny gait .
Support Ozzie Dog
If you want to support Ozzie , you’re able to do so bysupporting my fundraiser here .
And if you ’d like more information and to follow along with Ozzie ’s journey , I made himhis own accountwhere you could continue up to date with his progress .
