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In the span of three weeks, this pup went from paralyzed to paw-erful.
Florida veterinarian Dr. Ali Thompson, 35, rescued a 7-month-old female pit bull named Bunny, who at the time suffered from a severe case of tetanus. Bunny was fully paralyzed from head to tail, had complete lock jaw, and experienced both muscle spasms and seizure-like episodes.
Typically, she said, dogs in this advanced state of the illness don’t survive — but after several weeks of round-the-clock, at-home care, Bunny made a full recovery. And, caught on camera, it’s a recovery marked by a healthy-looking Bunny trotting over to Thompson to play, Tampa Bay’s CBS affiliate reported.
Thompson and her husband, Matt, rescued Bunny in a critical state — and she remained that way for the next two weeks.
“Under most circumstances, patients with her disease severity would be in a 24-hour critical or specialty-care facility,” Thompson told Jam Press. “Together, [we] cared for her every hour, oftentimes every few minutes, on the hour for over two weeks. She was on IV fluids, IV antibiotics, IV anti-seizure meds, IV sedatives and IV muscle relaxants.”
Bunny also required multiple slow syringe feedings per day, plus ice and heat therapy, as well as motion and physical therapy to restore muscle memory, tone and strength. And to prevent muscle spasms, made worse by sound or light, Bunny also stayed in a dark and quiet room and wore a sleeping mask for nearly three weeks.
After two weeks, Bunny began showing big signs of improvement.
“She began to lift and move her head on her own,” said Thompson.
From there, it snowballed.
“The small improvements seemed to suddenly explode overnight as she popped up into the standing position around Day 17,” Thompson added. Then, on Day 21, Bunny took her first real steps again, as seen in this adorable video from The Dodo.
For Thompson and her husband, seeing her walk was an emotional experience.
“We both cried tears of joy, with our hearts beaming with pride over this little puppy we were growing to know and to love,” she said. “I was so proud of her and told her I knew she had it in her. She was a little miracle — a survivor. Seeing her walk again lifted us up and reminded us that great love and determination can move mountains, even awful ones like tetanus.”
Bunny has since earned the love of people around the world, with a Bunny-dedicated Instagram account earning more than 66,800 followers. But more locally, Bunny has become a favorite among kids in the neighborhood.
“Everyone adores and supports her just as we do,” said Thompson.
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