Paralysed dog walking again after major surgery
Dexter, from Morpeth, suffered a number of injuries
At a glance
Lurcher Dexter was unable to move after he disappeared on a walk
Vets found he had multiple fractured bones in his back
The five-year-old dog underwent a "highly complex" operation
After an eight-month long recuperation he is "living his best life" again
- Published
A dog that was completely paralysed after a mysterious accident is "back to his old self", eight months after undergoing rare surgery.
Danielle MacGill, from Morpeth, Northumberland, had been walking her lurcher Dexter in August when he went missing, prompting a near-two hour search.
When the five-year-old dog was found, he was left with multiple bone fractures to his spine.
Medics carried out a "highly complex" procedure, managing to minimise the injuries and stabilise his neck.
"It was a very long and stressful evening," said Ms MacGill, who had been walking her other dog, Albus, when the accident occurred.
Ms MacGill, also a vet, said she was devastated to find Dexter unable to move.
She does not know what happened when he went missing, but believes he might have run into a stationary object.
Dexter was taken to Wear Referrals in County Durham where vets operated late into the night.
Senior neurologist Clare Rusbridge and specialist in small animal surgery Francisco Silveria carried out a complicated procedure.
Ms Rusbridge said: “He was completely paralysed in all four limbs and his neck meaning he needed intensive care.
"It was a real team effort to save his life and get him moving again, calling on the skills of our nursing team together with our neurology and orthopaedic experts".
'Awe inspiring'
After several hours, they managed to preserve the spinal cord while dealing with the fractured vertebrae.
Ms Rusbridge said although function had been slow to return Dexter had completed a course of intensive physiotherapy and was now running again.
The medics who saved Dexter were praised by Ms MacGill, who is continuing with his ongoing care.
“He was allowed home after about a week, although at this stage he was not able to walk," she said.
"It was a long, hard process but seeing him start to do things that I hadn’t been sure would ever be possible again was awe inspiring.
"He is living his best life," she added.
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