Meet Rowan, the bravest and happiest little Vizsla who is on a journey to recovering from paralysis caused by a spinal cord injury!

On July 20th, Rowan was running through the woods just like any other day, but then, she dramatically collapsed on the ground screaming. I ran to her and picked her up. When I tried to stand her up, to my horror, I discovered that she could not move her legs at all. She was completely limp and unable to move. I carried her a half-mile back to the parking lot, and my brother came to pick us up and rushed us to the hospital.

She spent the night in the hospital and had an MRI, which showed she had suffered an acute non-compressive nucleus pulposus extrusion (ANNPE). This means that there was a small tear that allowed disc material to shoot out at a high speed, hitting her spinal cord and bruising it. This caused her paralysis, and unfortunately, there is no quick or easy fix. It is treated with intense medical management, including physical therapy, rehabilitation, etc. There is also no clear cut answer on what her "recovery" will be, though she was given a 75-80% chance of fully recovering.

For the past two months, I have thrown everything I can into supporting her recovery. It has not been an easy journey in the slightest. When she first came home, she required around the clock care - carrying her everywhere, expressing her bladder, rotating her to prevent bedsores, and so on. We quickly started with a rehabilitation facility for laser therapy, and she attends these sessions weekly.

She has come a long way since her injury occurred, and she still has a long way to go. But, I am so grateful that she can go potty on her own and walk again (even if it is super wobbly). She is strong, and she is still fighting! Most importantly, she is still happy and finding joy even if it looks different now.

I am continuing to do all that I can to support her. In addition to laser therapy, she also gets acupuncture, hydrotherapy, daily exercises, and supplements for her muscles and nervous system. We are looking at adding in hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments, as well.

Since this has all happened, I have been blessed and overwhelmed with an outpouring of support for Rowan and me! It means a lot to have a community of dog lovers standing with us through her recovery. I get messages daily asking about a GoFundMe or ways to help, so after a lot of hesitancy, I am setting one up just as a space for anyone who wants to help us through the financial part of this difficult journey. All funds will go straight toward paying off her outstanding vet bills from her hospital stay, her therapies, and equipment to aide her recovery. :)

She has been through a lot in her short life, but we will never stop cheering, "Keep goin' Rowan!!"