A stiff and ‘almost lifeless’ puppy went from paralyzed to a second chance in life thanks to a kind woman in Florida. Veterinarian Dr. Ali Thompson rescued a 7-month-old female pit bull named Bunny suffering from a severe case of tetanus. The dog was fully paralyzed from head to tail. It also had lock jaw, muscle spasms, plus seizure-like episodes. She shared the full story on her Facebook page
Dogs in this advanced state of illness usually don’t survive, but Thompson and her husband didn’t quit on Bunny. After several weeks of at-home care, the once paralyzed puppy made a full recovery. Their story was documented and now sweeping the hearts of the entire Internet, but getting there was not a walk in the park:
“Under most circumstances, patients with her disease severity would be in a 24-hour critical or specialty-care facility,” Thompson told the media. “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.”
During her two-week critical state, Bunny had to be slowly fed through a syringe daily. Ice and heat therapy as well as physical therapy was also required to regain muscle memory and strength. She also had to stay in a dark and quiet room for three weeks so as not to trigger the muscle spasms.
After two weeks, Bunny began showing significant signs of improvement. By Day 17, she was able to stand upright again for the first time. A few days after that, she took her first real steps again which was caught on camera.
Thompson recalls the sudden burst of emotion she and her husband experienced upon seeing Bunny’s improbable recovery: ““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.”
Now happy and healthy, Bunny and her new family have become local celebrities in their Bradenton community. They have earned the love of pet lovers all around the world. Her Instagram page, @bravelikebunny, has more than 66,800 followers and is still counting. “Everyone adores and supports her just as we do,” said Thompson.
