Dog Suddenly Paralyzed After Living with Unknown Autoimmune Disease. Now He’s Rediscovered Life on Wheels (Exclusive)

Named after the witty and resilient Game of Thrones character, Tyrion the Maltipoo has lived up to his name in more ways than one. 

With his boundless spirit, sweet face, and customized wheelchair, the seven-year-old dog is not just surviving — he’s thriving. 

Tyrion’s journey hasn’t been easy, but his 28-year-old owner, Dagmar Gudmundsson, has been by his side since he was just eight weeks old.

Tyrion had always been a healthy dog and never showed odd symptoms or warning signs. However, everything changed on March 2, 2024. That afternoon, Tyrion was playing fetch like usual before curling up next to his owner for a quick nap. When he woke up, something wasn’t right.

“He woke up from the nap, I noticed he was like, kind of walking a little funny,” Gudmundsson tells PEOPLE exclusively. What followed was a rapid and terrifying progression.

“We went to the vet, and then we were there for a long time, but within like, three to four hours, he went from playing fetch to kind of walking wobbly, to absolutely no function, no movement in his back legs, nothing,” she recalls. “Like it happened so fast.”

Initially, the vet suspected intervertebral disc disease (IVDD), which can occur when the disc between a dog’s vertebrae bursts and puts pressure on the spinal cord. It’s especially common in dogs with long bodies and short legs, and although not always debilitating, it can lead to paralysis. Tyrion underwent an MRI to identify the affected disc, but the results told a different story.

Instead of a burst disc, the MRI revealed that Tyrion’s spinal cord was severely inflamed. “They tried to figure out what’s going on, and they figured out that he has an autoimmune disease. It’s called GME (granulomatous meningoencephalitis),” she explains. “It’s a neurological thing, but, yeah, he has an autoimmune disease, and basically attacked his own spinal cord, and now he’s paralyzed.”

For Tyrion, the road to rehabilitation was slow. “For the first six months or so of his paralysis, there was not a lot going on,” Gudmundsson says. With the help of acupuncture to stimulate his nerves and hydrotherapy sessions, where a therapist helped move Tyrion’s legs in water, he began to make progress. About six or seven months in, Tyrion finally began trying to stand and take his first steps.

Though he still can’t feel pain in his legs due to the disconnection between his brain and spinal cord, Tyrion has started “spinal walking.” While it’s not a brain-directed movement, it’s still walking, and it’s nothing short of incredible.

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Around a month after his paralysis, Tyrion was fitted for his wheelchair. “And what’s crazy about the wheelchairs… his physical therapist, who helped us set it up, she was like, ‘Okay, just a warning, not all dogs like this. It’s kind of 50/50, so don’t get your hopes up,’” Gudmundsson recalls. Luckily, Tyrion took to it immediately. “He’s like, I’m free. I can run again – loved it immediately.”

Though Tyrion doesn’t wear his wheels all the time – often opting to drag himself indoors or in safe areas – he lights up whenever it’s time for an outdoor adventure. “You can just tell it’s like for a normal dog, when you grab the leash and they get excited – when I grab his wheels, it’s the same kind of reaction.”

Caring for a paralyzed dog has not been without its challenges. In the beginning, the emotional weight was heavy. “Honestly, I fell into a pretty deep depression,” Gudmundsson admits. “But what really helped was I’d be like, on the couch crying, feeling bad for him, but also, honestly, kind of feeling bad for myself… And he would drag over to me and … just give me this look like, ‘What’s up? Like, let’s go for a walk. You want to play fetch?’ ”

It became clear that Tyrion wasn’t grieving – rather, he was living. That realization only deepened with time. “I had to just totally change my mindset,” his owner reveals.

Gudmundsson began sharing their journey on TikTok, where they connected with others who had similar experiences. The support was validating. “People were telling me I was doing a good job, which, in the beginning, I really didn’t feel like I was.”

Physically, the hardest part has been managing Tyrion’s bladder. He needs help expressing it four times a day to prevent infection, something that requires a consistent, hands-on routine. “Thankfully, I don’t have a 9 to 5, because I don’t know how that would work,” she says. “It really has to be done on a schedule, regularly.”

Still, despite the hurdles, the experience has transformed their bond. “Sometimes I’m like, maybe we’ve gotten too close?” Gudmundsson jokes. “But whatever, you know, he’s like my best friend, it doesn’t matter.”

Reflecting on everything they’ve been through together, Tyrion’s owner feels stronger and wiser. 

“Life is harder for him than other dogs, but it doesn’t mean you can’t also have the joy and the fun and whatnot,” Gudmundsson tells PEOPLE. “So I think my brain and the way I think about things has really evolved and grown, which has been incredibly rewarding, and I think made me a better person at the end of the day.”

Her business, “Wag & Wheel,” is launching soon with a website offering apparel and accessories for owners of disabled dogs, including colorful hats.

After struggling to find meaningful products, she designed her own to celebrate the pride of having a disabled dog. A portion of the profits will go to rescues and sanctuaries that care for disabled animals.

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