While his family was abroad, Jet suddenly lost feeling in and use of his rear legs due to an intervertebral disc herniation. As this condition is common in dachshunds, UGA clinicians jumped into action and performed a surgery to address the issue. Unfortunately, the chance of complete recovery when compounded with a lack of feeling in the legs, even with surgery, is only about 50%. A couple of weeks after discharge, Jet’s paralysis was still not improved.
But his family did not give up. For ten weeks following his surgery, Jet received cold laser treatments from his primary care veterinarian, strict crate rest, and acupuncture, and—with time—Jet’s rear legs began to respond to stimuli. At this point in his recovery, Jet was referred to the rehabilitation clinic at UGA where he was seen weekly for three months and made huge progress. Once he found his legs again, Jet hit the ground running—literally.
Jet’s success can be attributed to the dedication of his owners, Robert and Janet, and the work of his team of veterinarians and specialists. Janet relates, “This picture was one of the first times he was able to move his legs, and you could see in his eyes that he was proud he was walking again. We owe it to the rehab staff at UGA for our boy coming back to us as he was very depressed when this first happened. We were also so sad for him because his zest for life was clearly missing. Because of the team’s dedication and commitment to Jet we were so encouraged and committed to him walking again. Jet had not only the UGA Teaching Hospital behind him, but his regular vets and his acupuncture vet are both UGA Veterinary graduates and part of his care team. We are so grateful.”
