A Pit Bull puppy was taken to the vet after she became stiff as a board and “frozen.” It turns out Bunny was afflicted by tetanus (otherwise known as lock-jaw). Her owners gave her up to veterinarian, Dr. Ali Thompson, as they could not afford the medical care that would be required to make Bunny better.
Ali decided not to give up on Bunny and began a very strict care regime to get Bunny back to health. She blindfolded Bunny temporarily to decrease stimulation as any visual stimulus would start a seizure.
Bunny was still rigid as a board during those weeks but she could wag her tail. After two weeks, Bunny had a surprise for Ali. Ali came home to find Bunny wagging her tail and standing up! Bunny began to show real progress.
After further weeks of care, Ali realized that Bunny had not only recovered, but that she could no longer bare to part with her and officially adopted Bunny into her home.
Although Tetanus is rare in dogs, it’s important to know that dogs can become infected by the bacteria that causes Tetanus, Clostridium tetani, through a scrape or cut. If a wound gets dirty, the dog can become infected and tetanus will spread and become life threatening. The best way to prevent Tetanus is to clean a wound thoroughly and treat it with antibiotics (if the scrape is deep) right away.
Thankfully the tetanus Bunny had was caught in time to save her life!
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