Paralysed doberman Kenny learns to walk again thanks to social media donation

A PARALYSED Doberman learned to walk again after a social media campaign raised thousands of dollars to pay for his surgery and rehabilitation.

Paralysed doberman's 'miracle' recovery

A PARALYSED Doberman learned to walk again after a social media campaign raised thousands of dollars to pay for his surgery and rehabilitation.

The dog, called Kenny, lost the use of his legs after a metal door was dropped on him accidentally by a kennel worker at Doberman Rescue in Los Angeles.

While doctors suggested the dog should be put down staff at the shelter refused to give up hope, taking Kenny to Two Hands Four Paws, a canine physical rehabilitation centre in the city.

The centre put Kenny on a month of rehab, which included massages, laser treatments, acupunctures and assisted standing and walking in a quad cart.

"At times we had four people in the pool with him, each one 'walking' a leg to mimic the motion of movement," Leslie McMahon, founder of Two Hands Four Paws told the Huffington Post. "He probably got at least 25 hours of physical therapy a week, including acupuncture."

But the treatment looked like it would come to nothing when the animal lost the ability to urinate.

"[It] became life-threatening, and we actually thought we would lose him because of this," said McMahon.

At this point a minor miracle occurred. Animal welfare workers shared news of his plight on social media and in a 24-hour period well-wishers contributed $6,000.

The outpouring of generosity was able to pay for an MRI and then surgery and despite falling sick with pneumonia Kenny was finally able to walk again.

Since then, McMahon said, Kenny "runs around like a lunatic day in and day out."

"He's a completely different dog. He learned how to play, learned what toys are, learned what walks are and does all three all day long. He's just a joy to watch," she told the news site. "It's nothing short of a miracle."