NathanSomething Felt Wrong
Annamarie and Geoff quickly wanted to retract their decision. “As soon as I got off the phone with the vet, I called Anna,” Geoff said. “We talked and cried some more, and didn’t feel right about it at all”…
Let’s Give A Good Fight
“[Watson] had been an amazing dog for us,” Geoff said, and they didn’t want to let go of that. “We had no idea what his quality of life was going to be,” Annamarie said. Now, all they wanted was for Watson to fight for his life.
What Will It Take?
They informed the vet to stop the procedure right away. They also inquired about how it would look like for Watson to try and get healthy again. Not only did he get a spinal injury, but Watson also had a number of broken ribs. In the beginning it did not look positive…
Doing What’s Necessary
The family would keep Watson on a blanket, use it as a stretcher and place him outside. With the help of a Radio Flyer wagon, they would take him for walks as well. His paralysis affected Watson’s ability to use the bathroom so he now needed his family to “activate” his bowels and bladder by pressing on his belly 4 times a day.
Unclear Start
“The first few weeks were very stressful,” Annamarie said. “We didn’t know what we were going to do; we didn’t know if he’d be happy. We didn’t know if we’d be able to take care of him,” she further said.
One Step At A Time
It began to look positive. The dog could use his front paws after strenuous efforts in the beginning and eventually got fitted for a little blue doggy wheelchair. Because the kids were in school and both parents work full time, the took in a caretaker for Watson.