Polar was a happy, carefree 7-week-old
puppy who suddenly collapsed and became
paralyzed in his rear quarters. He was
given to rescue since his owners were
unable to afford the cost of the
veterinary care he would require.
GRRI-NJ placed this beautiful puppy in a
foster home and began searching for a
reason for the paralysis.
A trip to the University of Pennsylvania
for extensive bloodwork and neurological
testing was inconclusive. Some felt he
developed the paralysis as a result of a
parasite called neospora that was
transmitted to him while he was being
carried in his mother's womb. Muscle
biopsies and MRI results were sent to
the University of California. They felt
it could be canine Muscular Dystrophy.
But the prognosis was still the same -
Polar would not recover from this
disease. So our challenge was to find a
home where he would continue to receive
excellent care, un-conditional love and
the right to live out his life with
dignity, however long that would be.
And we found that home.
Polar is now working as a therapy dog,
visiting school children to demonstrate
that even dogs with disabilities can
live productive lives.
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