Adorable Dog Learns To Walk Again After Being Left Paralysed

Elisha Young, the 26-year-old owner, was saddened when Mowgli lost all sensation in his legs last year; the cause of this was ultimately determined to be intervertebral disc disease.

However, the pup has regained his ability to walk and is now his usual, lively, and adventurous self following surgery and a year of hydrotherapy.

Picture: Mowglithespaniel/Caters News

Elisa, a recruiter from Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, claimed that Mowgli suddenly began acting oddly one day.

‘He was crying lots and walking a bit funny with his legs wide apart,’ she explained.

‘When me and my partner, Aidan, took him for a walk, he usually pulls and barks at the neighbor’s dog, but he was doing neither, so it started to concern us because it wasn’t like him at all.’

It became worse. Mowgli started to sweat by night and was very restless. He appeared to be quite uncomfortable and was moving all the time.

Picture: Mowglithespaniel/Caters News

They were instructed to bring Mowgli in that night after Elisha called a vet, who said there was nothing wrong.

‘We bought him home and tried to keep him comfortable, but I wasn’t happy with what we’d been told,’ she said.

Elisha took Mowgli back to the vet because something wasn't right and he was worse the next morning.

X-rays revealed that Mowgli was full of air and only required a bowel movement.

Elisha said: ‘We couldn’t believe it; we were laughing about how we’d spent $1572(£1,300) on the X-rays and appointment for them to tell us our dog needed to pass wind.’

Picture: Mowglithespaniel/Caters News

‘We took him home feeling relieved because we didn’t think there was anything seriously wrong with Mowgli.’

Things, however, unfortunately, changed. Having lost all control, Mowgli became incontinent. After making another contact with the vet, she was instructed to take him in for medical tests.

‘The tests showed a thinning of his spine, and we were told it must be something neurological, so we’d need to see a specialist,’ Elisha said. 

Thankfully, Dr. Billy, Aidan's uncle, is a competent vet. He informed them that Mowgli had stage 4 intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) and that surgery was the only treatment available.

Even after surgery, the dog was now paralyzed, so the couple took their mattress downstairs to sleep next to him.

Picture: Mowglithespaniel/Caters News

The thought that their dog might never walk again frightened Elisha and Aidan.

The pair couldn't face the prospect of Mowgli losing his ability to mountain bike with Aidan, so they started researching physiotherapy to try to rehabilitate him. Mowgli was an energetic dog who loved to do that with Aidan.

Elisha explained: ‘We started off doing gentle exercises with him to help stimulate his muscles so they didn’t die.’

‘We took him there twice a week for about six months with each session costing $33(£28). We’d have done anything to help him.’

‘For two months, after he’d gained some strength and movement back, he was just practicing walking on a treadmill underwater.’

Elisha and Aidan continued the treatment at home as the beloved pet finally progressed to a larger pool.

It's amazing how quickly he recovered from being immobilized to being in fighting shape.

Picture: Mowglithespaniel/Caters News

‘Mowgli is doing fantastic now and is fully recovered,’ said Elisha.

‘We are so proud of him, and the vets are more than happy with how he’s doing.’

‘He’s so happy and you’d never know anything was wrong with him.’