b'The Wonderful We met Wookie in June of 2021. Wookie is a mixed breed dog wholooks a good bit like her namesake and was adopted sight unseen fromMiss Wookie a rescue situation in Texas. And what an amazing doggentle, sweet,lovable, and maybe just a tad spoiled. As we got to know her, we founda bit of a sassy streak in there too! Oh, she has her momentsthatsby Elizabeth F. Baird, DVM, CVPP, CCRT, cVMAwhen we call her Princess Wookie.Wookiehadrupturedadiscinherback and despite a very involved surgery toremove the disc material and the pressureon her spinal cord, she couldnt walk at all.She had a urinary catheter because she hadnobladdercontrol.Absolutelynothingbelow the waist was functioning normally.TheveterinaryneurologisttreatingMiss Wookie described her surgeryshehad suffered one of the worst intervertebraldisc injuries he had ever encountered.Theruptureddiscappearedchronicandthediscmaterialhadflattened,spread,andadheredontothecoveringofthespinalcord.ThispressuredamagedWookiesspinal cord so badly that no neural signalscould pass through to her back legs, bladder,or anus even after removal of the compres-sive disc material. She couldnt even feel herback feet much less move them or walk.Meanwhile, her front end was func-tional,happy,andabitconfusedaboutwhy she couldnt just get up and walk away.Her prognosis for ever walking again wasfairly grim at this point.Rehabilitation therapy seemed herbest, but likely, her last hope.Wookies owner and our rehab teamat Steele Pain Management & Rehabilitation Center agreed to give it ourcollective best shot. We agreed we werent going to let her age inhibitourefforts(shesabout11yearsold)toenableWookietohaveafunctionallifeagain.Everyoneinvolvedunderstoodtherewerenopromises, other than our best efforts to get this sweet girl back on herfeet. The rehab team developed a therapy plan and Wookies ownercommitted to do his part at home as well.And so, a team consisting of Wookie, her owner, and the rehab staffat Steele Pain Management & Rehabilitation Center, launched a planTop photo: Ms. Wookie and her rehab team (left to to get this lovable dog walking again, against the odds. right) Valerie, Sarah and Dr. Baird.Wookie had a tiny bit of movement in her right hind leg, but sheAbove photo: With hydrotherapy, Wookie is really couldnt feel either leg; she couldnt stand, even with 90% assis-being taught how to use her legs tance. She had no idea where her back feet were. She couldnt feel herin the underwater treadmill. bladder and had no sphincter control.She wore an indwelling urinarycatheter and urine bag to mitigate the lack of control missing in both. 58THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'