Noah’s Story
October 2014-February 2015
The week of October 6, 2014 would change the life of one very special dog. A plea was sent out by Gwinnett County Animal Shelter for a rescue to come forward to assist a paralyzed dachshund, beagle mix. They thought that he might have been hit by a car, but were not able to make a full assessment. He was very thin and had many sores and his skin was scalded
from urine. It was Alcovy Pet Rescue that stepped up to pull him on his last day. Their volunteers picked him up and took him to Commerce Veterinary hospital to be vetted. On Thursday October 9th his foster picked him up at the vet clinic and brought him to Lilburn where he started his new life. It took several weeks for this very active one year old pup to settle down and allow his foster mom to secure a belly band and diaper on him which was much needed since he is fecal and urinary incontinent. He never showed any signs of being in pain, but was only able to drag himself to get around. Nothing stopped him from wanting to play outside and interact with other dogs. The main concern was keeping his skin from being damaged. Since he has no feeling in his hind legs he does not feel anything when he drags himself across rough surfaces. Fleece drag bags became his best friend. He could run and play and not damage his skin. His sores slowly healed and the belly bands and diapers have prevented any further urine burns. When Cub Scout Troop 513 from Sugar Hill heard about Noah from a shelter volunteer they stepped up and offered to make him a wheel. They worked diligently and got the first one ready for Noah to take to his rehabilitation appointment. On October 24th, Noah spent several hours at Georgia Veterinary Rehabilitation in Marietta to be evaluated by Dr. Jill Bailey. She measured Noah and determined the extent of his paralysis. She also made some suggestions for the wheel that the scouts had made for him. Noah’s x-rays from Commerce would not come through so Dr. Bailey was not able to determine the cause of his paralysis. She did, however, give Noah at home exercises to do. The Scouts continued to work on Noah’s wheel until it was perfect for him. Carolyn Ryan from My Fox Atlanta did a story on Noah, his new wheel, and these very special scouts. It can be seen at: http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/27384273/an-inspirational-tail-noahs-wheels
In the beginning Noah was not using his back legs, but as he ran and played in his wheel. He got stronger each day and his back legs that had atrophied got stronger and stronger. With Noah getting stronger every day it was important for him to see if other therapy options would help so we made an appointment to start water treadmill therapy at Loving Touch Animal Center in Stone Mountain. When he arrived for his second session Dr.Michelle Tilgman wanted answers on what was the cause of Noah’s paralysis so she x-rayed Noah at no charge and was able to answer the lingering question. Noah’s condition is congenital. He was born with his lower spine, sacrum and pelvis not formed correctly. Noah will always be incontinent and will need assistance to run and play. With time and therapy he can improve. He should be able to spinal walk. That is his goal, but he will always need a wheel to support him so he can run and play. Now that there was an answer and it was known what Noah is capable of it was time to begin work. Margie Sheets, Rehabilitation Therapist at Loving Touch, volunteered her lunch hour for 4 Fridays to provide Noah water treadmill therapy sessions. She is an angel! No other way to describe her. When it was evident that the water treadmill therapy was helping him a 6 week package was purchased. Each week Noah got stronger. His wheel that the scouts made for him limited the movement of his back legs since at fist his legs were not able to move, but now he needed to be able to move his legs in order to get stronger. Noah now needed a wheel that would allow him to use his back legs and that he could use for his entire life. Margie donated her time again and helped measure him for his new wheel. It was decided to get him a wheel from Eddie’s Wheels after recommendations from several specialists. Another deciding factor was that they provide a lifetime warranty for their custom wheels and with Noah being so active he will need his wheels to stay in tip top working order. The wheel the scouts made is Noah’s back up wheel now. He uses it when his other wheel needs to be repaired which is quite often as he is a very active boy. In addition to therapy at Loving Touch, Noah was evaluated by a neurologist at University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the cause of Noah’s condition was confirmed. He received one session of acupuncture with Dr. Molly Sheperd to help his incontinence. Acupuncture needs multiple sessions before the true benefits are known. This is therapy that might help Noah in the future. Noah has now graduated from therapy at Loving Touch. He has many exercises, massage techniques and activities that we have learned to do at home. He has a WalkAbout™ that he uses to practice walking. Noah’s front legs are very strong, and he goes very fast. It is a challenge for his back legs to keep up. One of his goals is to slow down and concentrate on his back legs. He works on this daily. In order to give Noah the best quality of life it will be important to keep learning and trying new things to help him. Noah lives in a home with 3 other dogs and 2 cats. He loves them all and does not understand when they do not want to play all the time with him. He does not have all the social skills that he needs to have around people sometimes, but he is learning fast. He also does not know how to approach other dogs. He just wants to play, but it is very intimidating to others when he approaches them growling and/or barking. When he settles down he loves to snuggle. Noah needs extra care and always will. He touches almost everyone that he meets. He loves life and is a very happy boy. He has already in 4 short months given so much love. He does not know that there is anything “wrong” with him. He loves life and does not feel sorry for himself. He is up and ready to play ball every morning rain, sleet, snow or sunshine. He is an inspiration and a true joy! It is an honor and privilege to be his foster mom. A great big thank you goes to everyone that has donated their time and services to get Noah where he is today and especially to Alcovy Pet Rescue and Yvonne Petty for they have been there for Noah throughout his healing and rehabilitation. They have shown him their love and support. He is very fortunate pup to have such a special group of people that believe all dogs are important. Vandie Enloe
Noah’s Foster Mom
