When it comes to health, there are unfortunately some in the medical profession who will give up on patients or refuse them care because of what the odds tell them or what they’ve read in medical journals.

But there are those who will take the risk anyway despite the odds.

These doctors will think outside the box, or their medical journals, until they can find a solution for their patient. God only knows what would have been Bunny’s fate if she hadn’t been in the care of veterinarian Dr. Ali Thompson.

Thanks to Thompson, the once paralyzed pitbull puppy can run and jump and play.

Thompson, a 35-year-old Floridian, adopted Bunny when she was 13-weeks-old.

The puppy was brought into her emergency room on an already tough day in dire condition.

“One of the receptionists rushed a really lifeless, at that time very small puppy, to the back and immediately placed her on the treatment table,” Thompson told WTSP Tampa Bay 10. “Just looking at her on the table there, the very first thing that popped into my head was this is tetanus.”

Bunny was completely paralyzed from head to toe. This poor little baby also had lockjaw because of her tetanus. This meant that Thompson had to feed Bunny by hand through a syringe.

To make matters worse, Bunny suffered from consistent muscle spasms and seizure-like episodes. She was diagnosed with a “generalized” form of tetanus that is known as Clostridium Tetani.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize that [dog can get tetanus] but dogs, being animals, are very similar to humans in a lot of ways in terms of their susceptibility to diseases,” Thompson said. “It’s a very rare disease for humans to get but it’s even more rare for dogs.”

And Bunny had a very dire form of the condition.

“It’s about 30 to 50 percent survival rate with really intensive care.”

That kind of care also costs a lot and it was a price that the dog’s owner could not afford.

But Thompson couldn’t just let this dog go without a fighting chance.

So, she named the pitbull Bunny and adopted her.

“I believe that my oath is being an advocate for the animals and so I really want to do that,” Thompson said.

“If I see a young animal that has even a glimmer of hope I want to try to offer that to them. I’m actually a pediatric cancer survivor myself and so I think in some ways I kind of see myself in them, having been given a poor prognosis at a very early age, so I think it kind of came full circle for me.”

Thompson and her husband Matt had to give Bunny around the clock care.

Bunny needed IV fluid, IV antibiotics, IV anti-seizure meds, IV sedatives, and IV muscle relaxants.

Not to mention all the cleanup and helping her to do basic things since she was unable to move at all.

The caring couple also administered ice and heat therapy along with physical therapy so she could gain muscle memory and back strength.

Bunny also had to be kept in a dark and quiet area as to not aggravate her muscle spams which worsen with stimuli like light and sound.

Little bunny wore a sleeping mask covering her eyes for almost three weeks.

But at about two weeks, Bunny began to show improvement.

At first, she was able to lift and move her head.

Then she could stand and before they knew it she could walk. Now Bunny is the happiest and most joyful pup you could know who loves to run and play.

“We both cried tears of joy with our hearts beaming with pride over this little puppy we were growing to know and to love. I was so proud of her and told her I knew she had it in her,” Thompson told Daily Mail. “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.”

Learn more about Bunny’s amazing recovery thanks to Thompson’s loving care in the video below.

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Article Sources:

Inside Edition

Daily Mail

WTSP 10 Tampa Bay

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By D.G. Sciortino

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D.G. is a contributing writer in Shareably. She's based in Connecticut and can be reached at [email protected].