[Dailydrool] My Lizee

[Sabrina Nicholls]

In 1989, my 10 year old Basset, Lizee, jumped off my bed and was paralyzed. She had back surgery, but after the surgery she had no sensation in her hind legs. I brought her home and, for the first time in her life confined her to a crate. She had bladder control, as long as I held her up. She didn't like the crate, and after a short time to heal she learned to escape the craft. The first time, I came home for lunch to take her out, and Lizee was loose in the house. Next time, I made sure the crate was latched and put a bungee in it. When I came home, Lizee was out of the crate. The next day, I put her in the crate, put on the bungee, and pushed the opening up against the wall. When I got home, she was out of the crate but her collar was in the crate. She earned the nickname Houdini. I gave up on the crate and tried to confine Lizee to the kitchen. She chewed through everything I used to block off the kitchen. Finally, I gave up and let her have the entire house. She was fine in the house, dragging her rear end around. But she got rug burns on her legs. I tried a number of things and finally ended up using ace bandages wrapped around her legs. 

From the time she got home, I exercised Lizee's legs at least three times a day. I held her up when she ate. And after the initial healing, I used a towel to walk her outside. After four months, she could stand up but she couldn't move her legs. When her back paws were turned under, she couldn't turn them upright. Seven months after her injury, I was at the back door helping Lizee out with a towel under her belly when the phone rang. I took the towel and left her standing while I answered the phone. Lizee got tired of waiting, and took a step; I screamed and dropped the phone. Lizee stumbled her way into the back yard. After seven months of paralysis, she walked!

Lizee never could pick up her feet, but she learned to swing her hips to move her legs sideways and forward. And she lived to be 13.

Since that time, we've had steps to the bed.

Sabrina, Ellie and Gumbo