It’s been three months since my French Bulldog had IVDD surgery for grade 5 IVDD with no DPS and this is our recovery story.
Well it’s been another month since Albus had his surgery for IVDD. In case you’re new, my three year old French Bulldog Albus had grade 5 IVDD with no DPS (deep pain sensation) and had surgery on April 8, 2018. We were told he had a 5-10% chance of walking again, with surgery.
You can read more about our story here: IVDD one week in, IVDD one month in, IVDD two months in.
This is probably the biggest and best update so far!
On June 15, two months, one week and four days since surgery, Albus started walking with his left leg. We have started taking him swimming in my parents swimming pool (not the underwater treadmill) and it has helped so much!
He took a couple of steps on his left leg and we couldn’t have been more thrilled. After we saw some movement, we got him started in the water treadmill where he has been making some great strides!
His left leg is definitely stronger than his right but he did take five steps with both feet this month which is great! After a few sessions on the underwater treadmill, we saw a lot of progress in his right leg as well.
He mostly still drags himself around but this is still encouraging and we hope that with more hydrotherapy he will be able to build up more strength and really get going.
He also had his second re-check with the neurologist who said that he was very encouraged by his progress and to keep going as we have been.
We had a hockey tournament this month and because we don’t quite feel comfortable leaving Albus alone at home for long periods of time, we brought him along for the ride.
It was one of the most beautiful and meaningful events I never expected. People were so caring and loving towards him. So many people came up to us to tell us they heard his story and were thrilled with his progress.
He got so much love, so many pets and it was so nice to see people reach out to us and show us the power of community.
I was truly humbled by the experience.
Throughout this process, there have been so many questions. Why Albus? Why us? How will we go on? What will life look like now?
This is something I never expected and I wouldn’t wish on anybody but I’ve been really trying my best to find some sort of purpose in things that happen. What can this teach me? How can I grow?
I sometimes wonder if this is a way for me to learn selflessness, humility and how to consistently show up for something even when you only see the slightest bits of improvement, or even none at all. This has been a great lesson in patience. It’s also been a great reminder of the power of love. Love for a dog, love for yourself, love for the people around you.
One thing we’ve learned: Albus may never be 100% again or at least 100% the same as he was before but he is 100% loved and we are 100% thrilled with his progress so far. He has come a long way since they told us 5-10% before surgery.
As far as I’m concerned, this is a miracle and I’m glad to get to see and be a part of it.
Leave a Reply