1975 Glenn Club Drive
Stone Mountain, GA 30087
770-469-0023

Pistol -
After suddenly becoming paralytic, nearly 9-year-old Pistol was diagnosed with Coonhound Paralysis - barely able to lift his head and unable to lift his neck without extreme pain.  He was started on an aggressive physical rehabilitation and acupuncture protocol.

Unable to stand or voluntarily move his limbs, we mimicked standing and walking exercises with Pistol several times a day using this quad cart (which also served to hold his head up), slings, and most importantly, the underwater treadmill .  Dogs live in the moment, and quickly become complacent with a paralytic life if not reminded of the upright perspective they are meant to have on the world around them.

In the underwater treadmill we were slowly able to retrain walking by manually moving Pistol's legs for him.

Unable to roll himself up off of his side and onto his belly, we would position Pistol into a "sternal" posture over a bolster, using padding to prevent him from slipping back onto his side.  The blue jacket was used to help hold him in a standing position with the help of a hydraulic hoist.

As part of his treatment, Pistol received skeletal balancing and acupuncture on a regular basis.   Like many dogs, Pistol would sleep through this relaxing treatment.

While Pistol stayed with us during the day, he was set up in our main gym area.  This provided the mental stimulation of seeing the other patients and their owners coming and going.  At this point Pistol had recovered sufficiently to raise his head and neck, but still could not stand or walk on his own.

As Pistol continued to recover over the next several weeks, we worked on strengthening his core and back muscles, as well as proprioception (body position awareness).  In this photo, Pistol is keeping himself stable on a rocking surface.   You can see by his face how much better he is feeling.

OTCH, UKC-HRCH, UKC-UH Half Moon Lock and Load UDX, MH
(AKC Obedience Trial Champion, Utility Dog Excellent and Master Hunter)

Pistol fully recovered-
he returned to his favorite activities of hunting ducks, running and bossing around the other dogs in the house.  At the current time, Pistol is 12 years old and doing good.