Dachshund Daisy Back On Her Feet Thanks To WMR

Neil Hughes and partner Emma Gleadell were distraught when Daisy, their six-year-old miniature dachshund, dramatically lost the use of her hind legs in the space of two weeks.

They feared their beloved pet would never recover but are now delighted after spinal surgery by expert vet Stuart Brown, from Linnaeus-owned West Midlands Veterinary Referrals (WMR), near Burton on Trent in Staffordshire, proved successful.

Neil said: “Stuart was absolutely fantastic and delivered top-class, five-star treatment for Daisy, who is now making a remarkable recovery. We are so relieved. It’s been a stressful time and there have been lots tears because Daisy means so much to us both.

“Everything happened so suddenly. One day I was taking her for a walk as normal, then she suddenly stopped and didn’t want to go any further.

“I knew there was something wrong and when she started to deteriorate rapidly over the next few days, I was convinced she was suffering from Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD).

“We’re members of ‘Simply Sausage Dogs’ and “West Midlands Dachshunds’ on Facebook, so we had seen similar cases online and knew how serious the condition could be.”

Neil and Emma went to see their local vets who referred them to WMR, where Stuart helped put their minds at rest.

Neil added: “I spoke to Stuart on the phone and he questioned me thoroughly about Daisy’s symptoms and, even without seeing her, he confirmed it was almost certainly a case of IVDD and even specified exactly where the problem would be located.

“He was fabulous and he was proved to be right. It was a very stressful time for us but he put us at ease and was excellent in explaining the whole situation to us.”

The biggest problem then was delivering Daisy to WMR for treatment, as the pair did not have any transport to make the 35-mile round trip to Burton and back.

Again, the staff at WMR came up trumps by informing Neil and Emma about the Animal Ambulance Service run by the Animals at Home website, which promptly organised to transfer Daisy to Staffordshire for treatment.

The couple then had to sit back and wait while Stuart performed the delicate surgery which would hopefully see Daisy regain her mobility.

Stuart said: “Daisy came to us suffering from pain in the thoracolumbar area towards the base of her spine and an inability to coordinate her hind legs.

“A CT scan confirmed Daisy had IVDD and had suffered a Type I disc extrusion with calcified disc material in the vertebral canal causing compression of the spinal cord.

“The only course of action was surgery and we performed a procedure called an hemilaminectomy, which enabled us to remove the extruded disc material to relieve the pressure on the spinal cord.

“Surgery went very well and immediately afterwards Daisy was comfortable, was consciously moving her limbs and her prognosis for a good, functional recovery is very good.

“She will now undergo ongoing physiotherapy, and possibly hydrotherapy, to complete her recovery and we’re hoping she could regain as much as 90 per cent of her mobility.”

WMR provides expert treatment in cases requiring orthopaedic surgery, spinal surgery, soft tissue and general surgery as well as medical and ultrasonography cases.

For more information on West Midlands Veterinary Referrals visit www.wm-referrals.com or search for West Midlands Veterinary Referrals on social media.