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was obvious that his back hurt, he would
hold up one paw, and he couldn’t sit up. The vet
determined that Moki had disc degeneration and
compression in his spine. “Unless we did something,”
Robert remembers, “he just wasn’t going to survive.”
Dr. Peter Maguire, neurosurgeon at Berkeley Dog and Cat
Hospital, performed a surgery to expand the space in
Moki’s neck. But it was clear during the dog’s poor
recovery that the additional space had actually created
more instability. According to Dr. Maguire, “Moki got
worse instead of better.”
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Another surgery had to be performed, one
that was technically challenging for the surgeon and
much more dangerous to Moki. Metal pins were driven into
the animal’s vertebrae, just millimeters from his spinal
cord. This was a newly developed procedure and there was
no room for error.
That surgery was deemed a success, and
Moki should have been able to function. But he wasn’t.
He still couldn’t stand; he couldn’t put any weight on
his legs. The situation was emotionally devastating for
the Kochs. This 100-pound dog that used to run joyfully
on the beach now had to be carried. And it took three
people to do it. |
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Joni Kamlet, a veterinary nurse who was
training at Berkeley Dog and Cat at the time, says, “He
could barely lift his head up. He was a beautiful dog,
very sweet, but as low as a dog could be. His limbs were
not moving. We had to move him from side to side, had to
put him in a cart and roll him out to void. It was
heartbreaking to think he was going to be euthanized.”
The Koch family knew they couldn’t keep Moki unless he
could get up and down the stairs on his own. They’d
heard about canine rehab, but physical therapy was still
very rare for dogs. And considering the surgeries and
medicines, not to mention the family’s pain, this had
already been a very costly few months.
The family had to make a decision that
so many dog owners face. Robert said, “Every step along
the way, you think to yourself, ‘Are we prolonging his
misery? Are we throwing away money? Is this crazy?’”
They decided to try to save Moki and rehab was the next
step. There were only two canine
rehabilitation facilities in the Bay Area at the time,
and the family chose The Canine Rehabilitation Center in
Walnut Creek. Dr. Erin Troy assessed the animal and
remembers the case well. “Moki was neurologically
intact, but he hadn’t walked in over four weeks. I
didn’t know how far we’d be able to bring him back, what
his quality of life would ever be. But Moki wanted to
walk in the worst way.”
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After extensive evaluation to make sure
Moki wasn’t in pain, that his muscles could function,
and that the therapy wouldn’t be a danger to him, the
real work began. Every morning started with a warm-up.
Massage and passive range of motion exercises were
performed, and the nursing staff rolled him from one
side to another. The dog was housetrained and it was
important to maintain that training. The staff quickly
learned to read his cues. Moki had a special bark that
said, “I’ve got to go!”
Swimming – or, more accurately, walking
in water – was an important part of Moki’s rehab
program. This wasn’t as much fun as it sounds. It took
three people and a specially designed support device to
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place him into a tub with a
treadmill floor. Warm, soothing water was then added
until Moki was slightly buoyant and his feet rested
on the top of the treadmill. That first day in the
tank raised everyone’s hopes. His legs moved as soon
as the treadmill began. It meant that Moki had motor
control. |
Some days Moki played Theraball. With
his feet touching the ground and his body stretched over
a peanut-shaped ball, therapists shifted his weight –
left, right, back, and forth. This treatment stretched
his back and reeducated the dog’s brain about balance.
There were days when the struggling
animal was attached to a cart, like a box on wheels that
carried the dog’s weight but allowed him to move forward
on his own.
Sometimes Moki wanted to give up. He was
confused and didn’t always understand what was expected
of him. Dr Troy says, “This was a proud dog. Sometimes
he would get stubborn when we were going to make him
work. Sometimes we had to use ‘tough love.’ He didn’t
like the cart. We’d have to put the cookies far away, so
he’d have to work to get them.”
Throughout the therapy, professionals worked to keep
Moki’s spirits up. The dog needed to bond with his
therapists, to feel confidence and trust in these humans
who were putting him through such difficult and strange
activities. Every small step was encouraged with the
sound of a human voice and rewarded with affection. In
the afternoons, Moki was reminded of the good things in
life. He was groomed, given toys, and had visits from
his family, other patients, and staff dogs.
After a few weeks, there was only a
small improvement and the family was again faced with
the possibility of putting the dog down. A strong
believer in homeopathic medicine, Robert decided to try
one more thing. As a last resort, Moki was prescribed a
strong homeopathic spinal cord remedy. It wasn’t
something the mainstream vets were likely to recommend,
but Robert felt there was nothing to lose.
One day it happened. Moki’s legs
actually held him up. It took a moment for the fact to
sink in, then excitement and euphoria filled the room.
Despite all the hours of therapy and hard work, it felt
like a miracle. Moki could stand. He could crawl and he
could rise to a seated position. Now everyone knew he
would be able to walk again. There was no way to predict
how far he would walk someday, or how well, but they
knew he would walk. “There is something
about Moki,” Robert says. Dr. Troy and her team felt it,
too. “Everybody he comes in contact with loves him. He’s
like a magnet.” Once Moki started
walking, his recovery progressed quickly, and he
continues to exceed everyone’s expectations. What made
it possible? The vet who made the diagnosis and the
neurosurgeon who performed the delicate procedure played
important roles of course. There is no doubt that the
efforts of Dr. Troy and her staff, the physical therapy,
and the hours of support and encouragement Moki received
in rehab were essential. And Robert is sure that Moki’s
rate of improvement escalated as a direct result of the
homeopathic remedy. But most of all, it
was the love and commitment of one family, a family that
never gave up and wasn’t ready to say good-bye when the
canine member of their clan needed them most.
Or maybe the miracle was Moki Bear. Want to meet him?
Every Sunday, you can find him running on the beach at
Crissy Field.
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