Friday, October 9, 2009

Paralyzed dog walks again

A dog who was paralyzed has taken his first steps after pioneering treatment by scientists at Cambridge University. Experts hope the procedure could eventually be used to help humans with severe spinal injuries after its success in getting Henry back on his feet.
Henry, a smooth-haired Miniature Dachshund, was unable to walk after discs ruptured in his spine last November.
Now the six-year-old dog is walking and wagging his tail after scientists at Cambridge Veterinary School took cells from his nose and injected them back into his spine.
"It's incredible, I didn't think Henry would ever be able to walk again, but over the last few months he has been wagging his tail and taking small steps," said owner Sarah Beech, 34, from Birmingham.
"The vet told me to put him to sleep because he wouldn't have a very good quality of life and he was very depressed. But this treatment has really helped."
Henry had always enjoyed going for walks but suddenly lost the use of his legs about a year ago.
"One day he yelped when I picked him up and two days later he couldn't walk," she added.
Henry was given an operation to ease the pressure on his spine, but it didn't work.
Then Sarah heard about the new treatment for severe spinal cord injuries and decided to enlist him in the trial.
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ND woman's 7-foot-long dog

Dog Drinks from Kitchen Faucet
No big deal, right? Any dog can jump on the counter and, if the water faucet is open, drink from it...Boomer may be a buster: Measuring 7 feet long from nose to destructive wagging tail; he might be the world's tallest living dog. Owner Caryn Weber says her 3-year-old Landseer Newfoundland keeps all four paws on the floor when he drinks from the kitchen faucet in her family's eastern North Dakota farm house.
Boomer stares into car windows eye to eye with drivers. A 20-pound bag of dry dog food lasts the 180-pound canine a couple of weeks.
Weber says her furry black and white dog "comes into the house and his tail is so high everything gets knocked around."