Bubba

“Bubba” – 5 yr. male/neutered English Bulldog – home visit.

Bubba has never been any trouble. Recently however, he has started to snap and bite the hands that feed and love him - and anyone else who may dare to get close. What was once a welcomed pat on the head, has turned into a snarling game of dare. His people, Leanne and Adam are at their wits end. They are afraid that Bubba has become ‘vicious’ and are considering the painful and heartbreaking decision to put him down. Despite being skeptical, they have asked me over as a last resort. 

When I arrive Bubba meets me enthusiastically at the door and as I get comfortable on the floor (my regular spot), he sits beside me and lets me gently touch his body while I listen to what he has to say about his dramatic change in behavior. He does not snarl or try to bite once. Instead, he is deeply grateful to tell his family what is going on and does so almost immediately. A few months earlier, when Leanne and Adam were at work, Bubba spied a squirrel through the sliding glass door to the back-yard. In his excitement to get to the door and ‘bark that squirrel away’ he missed a step leading down to the sunken living-room and took a tumble. This topple, he shows me, involved quite literally falling head over heels. With adrenalin and focus on overdrive and override, he simply got back up again, ignored the pain and went on with the barking. Throughout the communication Bubba continued to show me where in his body he hurt the most and especially the consequence of this fall. There were a few places on his spine that were effected by the accident on the stairs and over the next few weeks became stiffer and more seized with an escalating level of pain and discomfort. There is a point on his spine where the neck meets the skull that has become so painful and knotted that on top of everything else, he is now suffering from headaches so severe that they verge on migraines. So badly seized is his spine.

His family remembers him becoming steadily lethargic and apathetic during this time but were not sure to what it could be attributed to as all of his routines and feeding remained consistent. Of course, they were not privy to his disastrous attempt to curb squirrel sabotage. Bubba had been hoping that they would notice in how much pain he was in and how reluctant he had become to do the things he had previously so loved before, the people he had loved to see - but it is hard for us humans (even in the best of times) to detect pain from animals who are known to be stoic and who do not show it in any obvious ways (i.e. a limp). As the pain in Bubba’s head increased, he became more and more agitated at the thought of someone, anyone, touching him on his head and/or neck. The pain was unbearable. The only way that he knew to deter even those he loved from doing this was to snarl. When this message was mis-read, his reaction to the pain of those approaching to rub his head and neck became too powerful an expectation of further hurt and his behavior turned defensively aggressive. At no time did he want or have any intent to hurt those whom he loved and knew but there was no other way he could be understood or left alone. He was also exceptionally reactionary. Anyone who has ever had a migraine can no doubt identify with this. Bubba was desperate for help. It was also during this conversation that he talked of his person having also sustained an injury in the past year that was causing him similar emotional feelings. Adam was shocked when he realized that his dog (as our animals are wont to do) was also holding emotional anger and aggression on his behalf too.

After a relatively short discussion I suggested that perhaps the best thing to do to help Bubba ASAP was to take him to see a veterinarian that also did chiropractic or acupuncture work on animals. Both Leanne and Adam were doubtful but especially Adam, who thought it was little more than nonsense. Leanne however considered that option but it is safe to say that both of them had very real reservations that their dog’s behavior was the result of a simple fall down some steps and those repercussions. It couldn’t be that easy surely. Nonetheless, I continued to encourage them strongly to at least check the chiropractic alternative out. Their beloved friend needed help, it was up to them to try to do whatever it took to support him through that.

A few days later, I received a call from Leanne. She had taken Bubba to the chiropractic vet that I had recommended. The vet was amazed, quite frankly, that Bubba was still walking. All the places in his spine that he had told his people about were out of alignment. The base of his skull was so out of place that the entire area was emanating intense heat and had to be adjusted 4 times in the span of one day. Leanne rang to say that within 24 hours of the initial adjustment, they had their ‘old’ Bubba back. She was amazed, and best of all Bubba felt infinitely better. He continued to have chiropractic treatments for some time to get his body back into balance and is back to being the affectionate and enthusiastic bulldog that he always has been. sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?