Brando wheeled his way through the Hialeah shopping plaza parking Wednesday morning, barely able to muster more than a weak woof.
The muscles around his lungs are paralyzed, the result of a skin infection that spread to a disc in his back. The infection also led to nearly 80 percent of Brandos leg muscles to atrophy, making him paralyzed from the middle of his back down.
But doctors are hoping that will all change, after an innovative two-part stem cell surgery performed Wednesday at Paradise Animal Clinic in Hialeah. Its the first time the combination therapy has been performed in Florida.
We know very little about [stem cell surgery] said Dr. Jose Gorostiza, a veterinary orthopedic surgeon who was involved in Wednesdays operation. But, he added, it is super cool.
Brando, a 9-year-old German shepherd named after Marlon Brando, has been paralyzed since January, said his owner, Miami cardiologist Manuel Bouza.
Everyone in the family was super depressed, Bouza said. We thought he was going to die, originally.
As veterinarian technicians shaved Brando Wednesday and tufts of his dark brown and black fur fell beside him, the dog looked ambivalent as the morphine kicked in.
Over the next four hours, Gorostiza; Dr. Jaime Pausa, owner of the clinic; and stem cell scientist Julieta Radiche performed the intricate surgery, which Bouza filmed.
I was kinda relaxed, I knew [Brando] was in good hands, Bouza said.
The procedure began when doctors taped Brandos body and tied his legs to the operating table.
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Historic stem cell surgery performed on paralyzed South Florida dog