“She Is Messy, But She’s Kind”

Our Almond has always had small animal aggression and this was not the first time she had fought with a raccoon. When she began to limp on her hind legs about a week after the fight we were concerned. The vet we took her to said that she had a sprain in her hips and dismissed it. I didn’t believe that and made an appointment at a different vet for five days later. By the time that appointment came around we had to carry Almond inside as she was fully paralyzed in all four legs and we had no idea why. Our worst fear was rabies despite her being fully vaccinated. That vet looked at her and said she believed this to be a rare disease called Coonhound Paralysis. She had never actually seen a case, only read about it in school. She recommended we see a neurologist immediately and sent us to yet another vet. The emergency vet at third hospital had actually seen one other case of Coonhound Paralysis before in her career, and after consulting with their neurologist confirmed the diagnosis. We were told there was no treatment because they don’t know what causes it, they only know is it is linked to raccoon saliva. All we could do was wait, and that dogs get better on there own over the course of 1-3 months. We had to watch her very carefully for the first week after because there was a risk of this disease paralyzing her diaphragm. Which luckily, didn’t happen. We bought her an exercise ball to practice standing, and a full body harness so that we could carry her easier from place to place. Luckily, I work at a pet resort and was able to take her with me to work during the week so that I could watch her. With a lot of patience and support from everyone in our lives we made it. It took almost exactly three months for Almond to recover. I couldn’t be more proud of her for fighting through this and making it out. We are sharing our story because it is rare. It helps to anyone going through this that you aren’t alone. If you’re seeing this because you’re browsing this hashtag don’t be afraid to ask questions if you have them. Almond made it, and your pup will too. ❤️🐶 #coonhoundparalysis #beatingcoonhoundparalysis #pitbull #dog #educational #prouddogmom (at Highlands Ranch, Colorado) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7EmgHeH4bP/?igshid=e3w6lzhhmdjo