TORONTO – The Canine Wellness Centre is a Toronto organization that helps temporarily paralyzed, arthritic or injured dogs regain movement.
One such dog, Mackenzie, suffered a chronic disk problem in his neck that eventually left him temporarily paralyzed.
After intense rehabilitation, Mackenzie was able to get relearn how to walk.
“I see dogs like Mackenzie come in and the owners are so upset because they’ve done everything they can to help them and despite having surgery they are still not able to walk,” Tania Costs, Founder of The Canine Wellness centre said. “So for me this was a way of saying let’s give it a try, let’s see if we can help him recover quicker.”
Each week Carol Smith, Mackenzie’s foster parent and a vet technician, would bring him to Costa’s centre, where she would work with him on new exercises.
A huge part of his recovery was working with an underwater treadmill.
“Tania’s generosity comes in many forms. She has a very positive energy and belief about these dogs’ abilities to recover,” said Smith.
Mackenzie took his first steps in January after being temporarily was able to take his first steps since being paralyzed.
“Already he’s met, even exceeded the goals I have set out,” said Costa. “I do realize that he may not be 100%, but I think that he will be 90% of what he was before and he will have a great quality of life,” said Costa.
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