Labrador owners praise life-savers at Paragon
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Our award-winning Wakefield animal hospital, Paragon Veterinary Referrals, has earned glowing praise after masterminding the “miraculous” recovery of a critically ill Labrador.
Paragon was the last hope for Vanessa and Steve Sears, the distraught owners of nine-year-old Autumn.
The precious family pet was referred after deteriorating rapidly following a week of severe sickness, diarrhoea and bleeding which had left her comatose.
Vanessa, from Brighouse, near Huddersfield, said: “Autumn had been extremely ill for nearly a week and had deteriorated fast, so we really did fear the worst.
“She’d been with our local vets, Calder Vets for four days but she wasn’t responding to treatment, wasn’t eating and was very weak and very, very poorly.
“The vets at Calder were very honest with us and said there was little more they could do and recommended we take her to Paragon for urgent specialist care.
“When we arrived, Autumn was pretty much comatose and had to be wheeled off on a trolley and we honestly wondered if that was the last time we’d see her alive.
“The thought of losing her was too much but everyone at Paragon was absolutely brilliant and five days later she was back home and well on her way to recovery.
“It’s pretty miraculous really and we are so grateful to the amazing team at Paragon.”
Autumn’s remarkable road to recovery was mapped by Paragon’s internal medicine specialist, Andrea Holmes and included five days of intensive treatment and care.
Andrea said: “Autumn was referred to us as an emergency case and arrived in a critical state.
“She had profound vomiting and diarrhoea, both with blood, abnormal heart rhythms and she had collapsed.
“Our investigations showed severe inflammatory bowel disease and she required treatment including a feeding tube.
“Once diagnosed, Autumn was hospitalised and made really good progress. Her recovery then continued at home with her owners feeding her liquid food via the feeding tube.
“We’re continuing to monitor her closely, including blood tests, and she remains on treatment for her inflammatory bowel disease, but she is responding very well to treatment and her owners are delighted.”
Vanessa added: “Autumn has a lovely temperament and is a fabulous dog who’s a treasured part of the family. It’s great to have her home.
“I knew she was returning to normal when I let her out into the garden on her second night home. It was 3am and she stood there with her favourite tennis ball in her mouth and was ready to play.
“That really made me smile, I was so happy and we’re delighted to have her home and getting back to normal.”
Paragon’s multi-disciplinary care includes anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery.
For more information on Paragon Veterinary Referrals, which is part of Linnaeus, visit www.paragonreferrals.co.uk.