My Success Stories

Lucky’s Story

Lucky’s Story by the Okwandu Family

Something seemed eerie that morning in March 2007. It was a feeling out of the norm, the kind of sensation when something just does not feel right; however, it was difficult to pin point. Nonetheless, I proceeded downstairs towards the backyard to fetch Lucky and Zora, the family dogs. It was tradition to run with the dogs every morning, even the "eerie" ones. Zora swiftly can1e to me at the sound of the door knob, but no Lucky. Not thinking anything peculiar about his absence I shouted, "Lucky, come on. Let's go!" It was only at my final shout I saw Lucky struggling to move towards me. He looked disembogued and absolutely helpless. His two hind legs were restrained by ambiguous internal forces. I tried to release Lucky of his pain and restraints, but my efforts were hopeless. At that moment there was a sense of frustration, guilt, and sadness that crept over me. Lucky's eyes were full of life but his body appeared to be disposing of it. I did not know what to say or do to make my dog feel better. Everything just seemed so odd and hard to comprehend. The night before, my dog was fine, the next day he could not move an inch. At that moment, with my dog in my arms, I understood why this morning felt so eerie after all.

Eventually, we decided to take Lucky to the local veterinarian. (Village Animal Hospital) The doctor examined our dog and obtained x-rays immediately analyzing his status. Unfortunately, the x-rays failed to show the problems with Lucky. There were no visible fractures, abrasions, sprains, cuts, or bruises. Nothing! What was happening to Lucky and why? The doctor proceeded to give him antibiotics, steroids, tick medicines and other treatments but nothing seemed effective. She also recommended an MRI; however, it was not guaranteed a MRI would detect the problem nor could I possibly afford this procedure. My options were limited but my prayers for Lucky were not. My family decided to wait another night and give Lucky a chance to recover.

Sunday morning failed to give my family good news. Lucky was not progressing; in fact, his condition was worsening. It seemed like the end was inevitable. We had no other option but to put Lucky "to sleep" or to spend over a thousand dollars waiting for him to recover by himself. However, there were no signs of recovery. Lucky could not control his bladder so he released waste everywhere and often. The site of him not having control of his bladder clearly showed he could not control his life. All we could do was break down in tears and continue to pray for any signs of progress. The final paper work was put together and all we needed to do was sign Lucky away to be put to rest. The idea of Lucky out of my family's life was hard to picture because Lucky was not merely a dog, he was our friend and family member. We could not see the flare in his eye die out-not now. Even though all hope appeared to be gone, we continued to keep faith alive despite Lucky's odds. Ironically, an animal massage therapist (Geary Whiting), a friend of Dr. Earnhart's came in unexpectedly from Northern California. Without wasting any time, Dr Earnhart discussed Lucky tragic situation with him and he offered to examine him. After about thirty minutes of massage therapy, came out and assured us that our Lucky may be well again. He also offered to return that evening for additional treatment on Lucky. It was a very lucky Tuesday! Lucky showed visible signs of improvement. He was twitching his legs for the first time since the incident. He still failed to walk properly but it was clear he had made some improvements. Hours went by and Lucky continued to be in this state but Sheryl, the veterinarian assistant worked her magic. To our surprise, Lucky slowly began to walk and wag his tail again! Though he had his limitations, Lucky was relieved to go home and we were ecstatic to see him back with the family. To make sure Lucky remained healthy and strong we continued Lucky's massage therapy three hours every day. With continual prayer and a little sacrifice each day with his therapy, Lucky recovered and is running more than ever.

We are truly thankful for the caring and loving people at Village Animal Hospital especially Sheryl, who even came in on her day off, to care for Lucky. We truly believe that Geary was an angel sent from heaven to cure Lucky. Lucky did not give up and neither did we. My family knew we could not just let him go in this way. With the support and determination of the veterinarian staff Lucky made it through his time of turmoil. You are truly very special to our fan1ily and Lucky. It's people like you who really make Lucky so "lucky" after all.