miracle

This is Walter sleeping after our landmark trip to the vet yesterday. I have yet to snap him in therapy down here...we do alot and I never seem to have my camera ready. I need a third arm or a personal assistant. Maybe just a roving reporter to follow us.

So I've been writing about relaxing and palm trees since we got here, but what I've not said so much about is the AWESOME vet we found down here. Dr. G is amazing. She specializes in not only veterinary medicine (studied in Switzerland/Hong kong)but she also does accupuncture therapy and therapeutic massage. (There is a miracle here...it's coming after this initial set up...)

Dr G. met Walter when we first got here (bedraggled and road worn) and mapped out the nerve growth in his foot. She was able to pinpoint just where the nerve endings were, what was missing and had to grow and what was possibly already growing. (You may remember from the prognosis after the accident that while we all hope the nerves in his damaged foot will regrow so he can walk again one day without the shoe, nobody could say for sure. It's sort of up to the nerves.)

Thank God for Dr. Julia and the staff at TC rehab, because they were the only ones who did not give up on him. His primary vet in Mpls pretty much gave up on him, as did most "traditional" vets. But because of Dr. Julias work, and the shoes they designed for him, Walter just may walk again! Everyone, including Dr G. says the shoe is 100% essential as the nerves, when they grow, will follow to meet the demand the foot is asking of them, so the foot must be held correctly if the nerves are to grow correctly. tough when Wally can't feel his foot and drags it around like a dead fish!

One big problem is keeping his poor dead-fish foot in tact while being munched in a shoe all day. He gets sore spots, smooshed toes, basically everything that would happen to you if you had to wear a pair of high heels that pinched all day, every day. His toes were getting swollen, cysts were forming between them and I didn't even know for sure if any of this nerve-growth was happening. Getting out of the snow and ice allowed his open wounds to heal (cut them on the ice, skin got soaked in the slush, tore easily etc...) Now being in the warm weather has allowed us to resume walking. Key, key key to his healing!

Dr G. prescribed soaking wally's tootsies in Epsom salts every night, which helped big time with swelling. Then she taught me how to give his legs, toes and feet deep massage (which I'm to do every morning to "wake his feet up" and each evening to stretch them out/soothe them) and she began accupuncture and infrared laser surgery on him. (We had accupuncture at TC rehab too.)

I've been so busy enjoying myself, I was not prepared for what happened yesterday. I took walter in for accupuncture, and set him down. I took off his shoe so Dr. G could have a look at him. She was across the room (big lovely room with lots of Chinese art/furniture) so naturally Wally went over to her. But here's the thing.

HE WALKED ACROSS THE ROOM WITHOUT HIS SHOE.

Fifteen paces or more, normally, like any dog - holding his foot perfectly. I stared as though seeing a mirage. A hallucination. "Did you see that?" I whispered to Dr. G. She nodded and whispered "Yes I did." Walter sat down by now, because his foot was tired from just that little bit of walking and when he stood again, he knuckled like he always does, but it is still an incredible breakthru.

Dr. G. continued with the session but my mind was reeling. I have not seen him walk in EIGHT MONTHS. Her theory is this little bits of unassisted walking will grow over time. She told me he's going to wear the shoe for a long, long time still. a year or more...but the nerves ARE growing my dear, dear friends! THAT MEANS WALTER HAS A CHANCE - A VERY SERIOUSLY REAL CHANCE - OF WALKING AGAIN!!!!!!

I think all this rest, relaxation, increased accupuncture and massage built on the solid foundation of Dr Julia's work with water therapy and designing his shoe - it's finally pushed us into the NEXT LEVEL of healing. All this of course in wrapped up in the amazing love you all send us, and how we need it and use it! You all know I wouldn't be here without you. What can we ever do to repay the world and pug lover community, which has so completely risen to meet us?

I know! I will have a margarita tonight in your honor! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!