Dedication Makes
All The Difference!

Only 3 years old, Gus was hit by a car on the road. He'd been playing with Rusty, his best friend. Late one winter evening, Rusty saw another dog across the road and rushed off to meet him. Rusty was white and the car driver saw him and swerved to avoid him. Gus was dark brown and got hit on his right shoulder, flung up in the air and dumped on his back.

Amputate or not?
Immediately Lynne took him to the vets – there were no bones broken, but he didn't seem to be moving much. He was kept in the vets overnight for observation, and they phoned Lynne next day to say “He is not moving his right foreleg. We think he is paralysed – we'll probably have to amputate the leg.”

Lynne said “No!” straight-away, thinking of her husband before they met – he'd been wounded in action in the war and faced the same dilemma, but his mother had said NO, and he had regained near-perfect use of his arm after only three or four months. As they discussed this, Gus heard Lynne's voice and leapt up out of his bed and came through to the consulting room, dragging his drip behind him!

Try Vav
Asking the vet what the other options were, Lynne was recommended to see Vav Simon, chiropractor. He prescribed some homeopathy for the shock and paralysing muscular pain – aconite and causticum.

Vav assessed Gus chiropractically, and unsurprisingly, he had misalignments from neck to pelvis. She mobilised his right paw as Gus was dragging his whole right shoulder behind him. She suggested adding another homeopathic remedy to the recipe: hypericum for the nerves in crushed extremities. She also recommended hydrotherapy, so that he could exercise his right leg and paw without having to take any weight on it.

On his second visit, Vav could find no deep pain reflex in his right paw – a bad sign. He had been for hydrotherapy and had used his leg and shoulder, but not his paw. By the third visit, he was able to lift his right shoulder, but could not walk or even take his weight evenly on that right paw.

Combined therapies
Vav recommended a visiting specialist at the Centre, Roger Meacock the hi-tech vet. He used his SCENAR device for two sessions, trying to restore lost nerve functions. Gus started to place his paw on the ground, but he would not go to the extent of weight-bearing on it. His leg movement was improving, but his paw continued to knuckle over.

Vav tried the Acupen – an electronic acupuncture stimulator – aiming to restart the paw movement muscles. She also suggested Lynne try Cheryl Sears, an animal acupuncturist, who got some improvement, but again, not as much as hoped. Vav continued to use a muscle stimulus machine to build muscle in Gus' shoulder and chest, to encourage him to use them more.

Over the next several months, Gus continued with hydrotherapy, building muscle, improving his one-two use of the leg and occasionally placing his paw in the normal way. Vav continued to provide occasional chiropractic to correct the consequences of his being continually three-legged, which meant he was taking his weight in a lop-sided manner. This posture would be continually pulling his spine in a curve and overusing some of his back muscles. Chiropractic was important to maintain his balance, his nerve function and prevent the painful cramps that could result.

Progress at last!
Suddenly, Gus started to lick his right forearm. Vav theorised that damaged nerves were re-growing and giving him a pins-and-needles feeling. Good news it seemed, but it also led to a problem – he was licking his skin raw and was in danger of getting infections. So Lynne had to start applying antiseptic cream and bandaging the wound.

Now, many months later, Gus is walking and running very happily, but still essentially on three legs. He takes some of his weight on his wrist without harm, and will place his paw properly, but doesn't take his weight evenly. Sad to say, he seems to have gained all the improvement he can.

But we have to count his case a success after recovering from paralysis and the possibility of amputation. Gus' patience and good temper with all the treatment, and Lynne's stamina in bringing him so often – twice a week to start with and now once a week - has played a vital role in this. Her daughter also deserves praise for helping out when Lynne's shifts got in the way.

A very long haul
This journey has raised doubts at times about what is the best thing for Gus. His happiness at life has supported the treatment, but some disappointment results from the failure to fully mend him. But therapy has helped him reach a plateau of progress that is certainly much better than his situation after the car crash.

And now he is a hero for a cat who has suffered the same trauma...