Chum lies on a plump duvet on Bep Lambriex's lounge floor. The nine-year-old golden retriever is almost totally paralysed after what was thought to be a fall down a cliff at Naike some months ago and spends most of any day on the duvet.

But for his devoted owner Bep Lambriex it is likely Chum would have been put down. Instead Mrs Lambriex took Chum home and made a harness that fits like a corset around the dog's midriff. Once Chum is laced in, ropes connected to a block and tackle attached to the ceiling are used to haul him up to a standing position.

As a result of the fall vets believe there was swelling in the tissue and membranes around the nerve between Chum's shoulder blades. By the time specialist help was sought there was little that could be done to reverse the damage causing the paralysis which Mrs Lambriex says is similar to a stroke. This means that without his owner's device Chum could never really move around or have any hope of exercise.

What Mrs Lambriex is hoping for is that Chum's legs will eventually move again with the exercise she is giving him. She says the contraption is working - she just does not know how far Chum's health can be expected to improve. Initially he needed to be hand fed and watered but now he has more movement in his neck and a reasonably strong right front leg which means he can turn his head to eat and drink and also stabilise himself. His other limbs are still limp although there is feeling in them.

Chum was found after a night out in the open. Mrs Lambriex says he was curled up in the dog equivalent of a foetal position and covered in flies.

A wheelbarrow was used to get him out to a car and then on to a Huntly, Waikato vet. After four days with no improvement Mrs Lambriex took him to a vet in Takanini, Auckland, who recommended a small animal specialist. But because no specialist was available in Waikato or Auckland at the time, Mrs Lambriex and Chum travelled to Kerikeri in Northland where the specialist found that Chum's spine had been wrenched between the shoulder blades, leading to the nerve damage.
Chum was given drugs to reverse the swelling that was causing the damage, but it was too late to reverse the damage. If the problem had been diagnosed earlier there may have been a chance of minimising the damage.

So now she is taking one day at a time with Chum. He is lifted twice a day for his exercise routine. Using the same harness and frame he is also taken outside and physically walked in order to encourage the wasting muscles.

Mrs Lambriex is hopeful this daily routine will help Chum towards recovery at least to the point where he is not totally dependant on her. She is also trying massage, holistic and homoeopathic treatments, dietary supplements, colour therapy and spiritual healing as well as conventional veterinary treatment.

During the days Chum seems reasonably happy with his lot but the night seems traumatic for him.

"At night he cries," said Mrs Lambriex. "He's not yelping or moaning, he really is crying. It's awful being there and not being able to do anything for him then."

Mrs lambriex said she will continue to work with Chum to aid his recovery as long as he is making improvement and showing that he is still happy to be there.

- Story by North Waikato Tatler

A lot has gone on in the life of Chum since the June report on page 8. He has had a kidney infection twice which required veterinary care, and a testicle infection once, also requiring antibiotic treatment.

But the good news is that Chum is now able to walk alone and is very healthy.
He still wobbles a little, and occasionally stumbles or falls because his back legs are still weak, but he is gaining strength all the time and is doing fine.

Owner Bep Lambriex says she has noticed that he now uses his tail differently - to help him balance. And he has regained his love of taking walks around the garden, which all helps him to build up his strength.

Mrs Lambriex said that she could monitor his progress by watching him as he slept. Just after the fall he hardly moved at all in his sleep. Then she began to notice slight jerking movements - just a fraction of the usual `dream' pattern jerking that most dogs experience, but a definite indication that the nerves were beginning to work again.
These movements became stronger as Chum's health improved and now are perhaps stronger than they should be and involve the whole body - but Mrs Lambriex expects that there will be a return to more normal patterns as Chum's weakened muscles return to their original strength.

He has come to realise what he is capable of and will not try to walk on anything with a slippery surface. If he must walk across it he will wait patiently until someone comes to help him. He used to sleep upstairs, but although he can negotiate one or two steps he does not try to climb the stairs. He now has his own bed at the bottom of the stairs ... as close as is safely possible to his old bedroom ... and he is quite satisfied with that arrangement.

Mrs Lambriex attributes a large percentage of Chum's recovery to his diet. She worked with homoeopathic and herbal routines and Chum was given plenty of protein to build up and repair his muscles - green tripe, beef and horse meat.

He also has vegetables regularly - blended so that he can digest them easily. He has slippery elm, cod liver oil, and to help him to overcome the depression he experienced in the first few weeks he has an occasional bowl of nettle and oat straw tea.

Chum's story will be an inspiration to other owners whose dogs suffer similar injuries - often it is not realised how much can be done to nurse a loved dog back to health.

Chum is now 10 years old and although Mrs Lambriex says his experiences have aged him in noticeable ways, she feels that she can look forward to his companionship for a good few years yet.