Jimmy Joy was found abandoned on a railway crossing, a severely malnourished Dachshund with some sort of spinal deformity. It was very difficult to handle him in the beginning and he refused to let anyone touch him due to the trauma he had faced. It took 10 days just to get through to him and for him to accept us and allow us to touch him. Till then all we could do was provide food and administer basic first aid. His hind legs were buckling but preliminary diagnosis revealed nothing. It looked like a spinal injury or deformity which was slowly getting worse. It was likely to have been a tumor adjoining the spine and causing compression of nerves leading to loss of locomotion in the hind legs.
We tried physiotherapy, hydrotherapy (cutting the top of a 1000 litre water tank to make makeshift unit), ultrasound but nothing worked. In an attempt to keep him mobile a small cart was made for him, he could use his front legs and the cart would support and move his back legs. It didn’t work as a treatment line but Jimmy Joy’s joy knew no bounds when he realized he could run again, he scampered up and down the path just to absorb it fully.
However his time with us was shortlived. The tumor was too near the spine too allow for surgery. His condition deteriorated and he passed away 6/8 months after he was found. In that short time he left an indelible mark on us with his indomitable spirit and joy for life despite his debilitating injury.
