Grizzy was a dog just like any other, until one day when he starting having issues walking around. When his human family took him to the vet, they got some news that no one ever wants to hear; their dog had an illness that would rob him of his ability to walk. However, not all was lost, as Grizzy underwent some rehab, and is able to walk again.
Melissa Mullamphy, Grizzy’s human mom, started noticing him have trouble walking back in April. So, she decided to take him to the vet to see what was going on. Little did she know, she would be leaving the vet’s office with a very heavy heart.
“We walked in with a walking dog and out with quadriplegic,” said Mullamphy.
Grizzy was suffering with what’s called “wobbler’s disease.” According to the petMD website, “Cervical spondylomyelopathy (CSM), or wobbler syndrome, is a disease of the cervical spine (at the neck) that is commonly seen in large and giant-breed dogs. CSM is characterized by compression of the spinal cord and/or nerve roots, which leads to neurological signs and/or neck pain. The term wobbler syndrome is used to describe the characteristic wobbly gait (walk) that affected dogs have.”
The family really didn’t have anyone to turn to, as there really wasn’t anyone in their area that could help Grizzy with this.
“I searched everywhere. All over the Tri-State area. Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and there’s not a place like this place,” said Mullamphy.
However, through her perseverance in trying to get help for Grizzy, she did manage to finally find someone that could help. The place was two hours away, and Grizzy would have to go there and stay there through his therapy, but the good people at Shaker Veterinary Hospital in Latham, New York have dealt with this issue before and were willing to help again.
“It’s probably the biggest case that we’ve ever taken on,” said Jenn Wolfe, who helped with rehabbing Grizzy. “He was paralyzed. Not able to do much but lay on his side. As far as sitting, standing, getting up, he couldn’t do it. Every day we saw him do something better whether it is ‘Oh he felt that toe today, he didn’t feel that toe yesterday.’”
Six months of VERY hard work later, and Grizzy is practically a new dog! All of the hard work really paid off, and Grizzy was mobile on his own again, and just two days before Christmas! It was then that Wolfe knew that the end was in sight for Grizzy, and he’d be good to go home very soon.
The Mullamphy’s have their Grizzy back now, and thanks to the tireless efforts of the team at the hospital, and thanks to Grizzy’s personal, inner-strength, he up and moving around again, just like any other dog!
“I’m just really thankful and now my son has his dog back and he can walk. We’re already fighting to see who will sleep next to him on the floor tonight,” said Mullamphy.
