June 28, 2023

We’d received a call that a dog was lying in a sewage drain, unable to move.

We found him forlorn and worried, sitting perfectly still as the cold sewage water rushed past him. When we lifted him out of the drain, we couldn’t see an injury or blood, but found that he was unable to stand from his hind legs. We hurried him back to Animal Aid so that our team could determine what was wrong.

We found that his hind legs were not responding when we checked for sensation by pinching his toes with a forcep. He was also not able to stand on his hind legs and had no proprioception, indicating spinal injury. Spinal injuries have different rates of recovery depending on the severity, and we were honestly worried by the lack of sensation in his toes. But we gave him a chance, and began his bedrest and physical therapy in hopes that the sensation and movement would come back to his legs.

After several weeks working with him daily and helping him stand, Hopper surprised us all!