After six months of treatment, a service dog who has become much more to a military veteran family is beginning to overcome the health problems that worried the family she served.
Service Dog Wendy
When you look into Wendy’s eyes, they’re usually staring straight at her owner — U.S. Army and Navy veteran Richard Heath. They are inseparable and usually smiling, but Heath's face was stained with tears during their first visit to pet pain specialist Dr. Doug Stramel.
Wendy is a 10-year-old black Labradoodle, a loyal service dog who has been by Heath's side through thick and thin for the last five years. Now, she's having trouble walking and her quality of life is rapidly diminishing.
"I hate to see her in pain, and suffering like she is. She has done so much for me, that I’m hoping I can extend her life a little bit longer," Heath said. "She's more than my best friend."
Five years ago, Heath was having serious health problems. Heart trouble, kidney disease, gastrointestinal infections and more.His quality of life was rapidly fading and his will to live wasting away
That's when a new North Texas non-profit organization called Patriot Paws hooked the veteran up with Wendy, one of the first service dogs they'd successfully trained.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Through several hospital visits and multiple surgeries over the years, Wendy’s never left her master's side.
"They're partners. We came into this a marriage of two, we’re now a marriage of three," said Elaine Heath, Richard's wife of 25 years, without a hint of irony in her voice. "You have no idea the bond that’s there, and the love that’s there between them."
When Heath suffered a stroke at home a few years ago, Wendy dragged him out of the room and closer to the telephone. Wendy picked up the receiver and even put it in Heath's hand so he could dial 911.
Doctors said Wendy saved his life, but Heath is haunted that her decisions may have shortened hers.
"She has blocked my falls, letting me fall on her, and I can’t help but feel that that might have hurt her," Heath said, choking back tears. "She has done so much for me, and I hate to think that I contributed to her condition."
Pain Management Therapy
Wendy's muzzle dotted with gray hairs. She has bad hips and a bad back and difficulty walking, which made her initial examination painful to watch.
"So it’s mainly Wendy’s right side?" Dr. Douglas Stramel of Advanced Care Veterinary Services in Lewisville asked as he poked and prodded the dog, pulling and stretching her body to locate the sources of her discomfort.
"Oh yeah, she's really sore over here. I can feel it. Easy girl, easy now," he continued.
At several points in the exam, Wendy whelped in pain and looked to her master for help. Heath, sitting in his wheelchair, could only look on and cry. But Stramel went right to work, putting Wendy one an underwater treadmill. Wendy, of course, never took her eyes off of Heath.
"You can almost see how she’s stepping normal with that left rear, but that right one she’s really exaggerating it," the doctor said, watching through the glass.
Stramel said that Wendy’s efforts to block Richard Heath's falls and stumbles did not contribute to her current problems.
"You did not cause it. Absolutely not. Don’t ever even think that," he said.
And after a bit of post-workout pampering, Heath received the news he’d been praying to hear.
"There’s a lot we can do for her," Stramel said. "I think we can her feeling a lot better."
As expected, Richard Heath said he'll never leave Wendy's side during that journey.
Stramel waived the $150 dollar fee for the initial consultation, diagnosis and treatment.
Update
Since Veteran’s Day, Wendy has been going in for weekly treatment sessions. During the last six weeks, she has received acupuncture, laser therapy and Ultrasound Shockwave therapy.
"She started acting like her good old self again," Heath said. "She’s picking up her ball and ready to go play. The transformation has just been amazing."
Stramel reiterated that Wendy has done remarkably well with her treatment.
"With everything we can do here to treat her, her quality of life has greatly improved as well," he said.
Heath said seeing Wendy resemble her old self again warms his heart.
"I can’t begin to tell you the difference it’s made for me emotionally," he said. "I know she has several more good years left in her, and it’s just amazing."
Patriot Paws
To learn more more about Patriot Paws, the North Texas organization that trained Wendy, visit the following links:
NBC 5's Todd L. Davis contributed to this report.
