Special Dogs Deserve Special Treatment
Hi, my name is Dr. Steve Yun, and I am a board-certified dental anesthesiologist in Southern California.
I am often called in to the dental office to help patients with special needs. So when it comes to dogs, it made sense to help dogs with special needs too. Thus, I am proud to announce that my family and I have committed to helping the Southern California Bulldog Rescue Organization.
Bulldogs have that special way of making anyone smile just by looking at them. They are wonderful dogs, but they have special needs and require more medical attention and maintenance than the average dog. As a result, many bulldogs are "given up" by unprepared owners or by unethical breeders.
We fostered our first dog, Bullet, and in addition to requiring all the usual work of an average bulldog, he also had spina bifida. Spina bifida is a congenital condition that affects the spinal cord. Dogs (and people) with this condition can have muscle weakness in the legs or even paralysis, and urinary/fecal incontinence. Bullet had a relatively mild form as he was able to walk and run, but he did have incontinence. As a result, he has to wear diapers on a 24/7 basis.
Taking care of Bullet was a lot of work! I haven't changed diapers since my kids were toddlers, and I definitely have not changed diapers before on a dog. But Bullet was wonderful, and he has been such a blessing to our family.
As a doctor who specializes in taking care of human patients with special needs, helping bulldogs reminds me that everyone with special needs deserve special treatment.
For more information about helping bulldogs, please see www.socalbulldogrescue.org.
