I came home after a long 12 hour day at work and put Brooklyn my 2 year old American Staffordshire Mix in the back yard for a pee. She was a very smart girl who was trained to never leave the yard. But this night Brooklyn saw a cat and her animal instincts kicked in. She chased the cat into the street and was hit by a car. One time is all it takes!
My fiancé and I rushed her over to the Metro Animal Emergency Clinic. Waiting in the exam room for the Doctor to come in after her assessment felt like forever. Brooklyn was diagnosed with Horner’s syndrome in the left eye and the left side of her face looked as though she had a stroke. But I didn’t care my girl was ALIVE and that was all that mattered. She was also diagnosed with Brachial Plexus in her left leg and had no feeling past her shoulder. I was told the chances of my precious girl ever walking again were very slim and amputation was the best option. My world came crashing down I was not ready for that. We decided we would revisit that option in a few months if no improvement.
Brooklyn walked around with a limp favoring her injured leg for a few months. We exercised her range of motion activities serval times a day. Whenever she laid beside me we practiced. Time passed and Brooklyn just wasn’t herself. I reached out to her Veterinarian for advice. She recommended getting another dog to give Brooklyn company and help rebuild her confidence.
We spent weeks looking for the perfect match. I was hesitant as I thought Brooklyn would feel we were replacing her because she was “broken”. But I moved forward with the idea.
Along came Bronx. He just fell into our laps and I couldn’t be more thankful. At first Bronx annoyed the heck out of Brooklyn. I would find her hiding away in her kennel to escape his crazy puppy behaviour. I started to question if we made the right choice or not. But after a few weeks of warming up and setting boundaries they became the best of friends. Seeing them together, was in a sense, magical. It gave me a little preview of what it must be like for injured animals out in the wild. Whenever they would play, Bronx didn’t caudle her. He would take Brooklyn’s good leg out from underneath her. Causing her to fall and forfeit the toy. At first I felt bad about it and watched closely. Bronx did this for a while and Brooklyn quickly learned that she needed to use that other paw if she had any chance of ever winning that game of tug.
I remember the day she started using her left leg again. The joy that overcame my heart that day was nothing short of a Miracle. She was my Miracle. It’s been 3 years since that night and Brooklyn walks on all four legs now. Still has some minor issues with her eye, left side of her face and a mild hop in her step but otherwise she is your everyday happy go lucky pup, and we are so blessed.
The reason I am in the Veterinary Medicine field today is my love for my two dogs. Seeing what Brooklyn overcame and how amazing the staff were at the MAEC. It really made me want to join this industry and do everything I can to make other pet’s owners tough times that much smoother.
Written by: Kaytee Daniels
