A dog owner has thanked vets who helped get her two dogs back to full health after they were both hospitalised at the same time for different reasons.
Jo Addison, from Market Deeping, said it had been ‘one of the worst weekends of her life’ when both of her Irish Setters, Hugo and Rupert, fell ill and needed specialist treatment.
Three-year-old Rupert needed help after suffering an epileptic fit, while five-year-old Hugo needed treatment after a blood test came back with abnormal results.
Jo took the pair to Linnaeus-owned DWR Veterinary Specialists near Six Mile Bottom, Cambridgeshire, where specialists helped them both on the road to recovery.
Jo said: “It was one of the worst weekends of my life, they both went downhill so quickly. Having one dog needing treatment is bad enough but both was really distressing.
“I was like an overanxious parent but our experience with both Hugo and Rupert’s vets was incredible. The team’s support, guidance and reassurance made a very difficult time for our family so much better.”
Hugo had been picky about his food for some time and had struggled to put on weight, despite Jo trying out different diets for him. Shortly after his fourth birthday, his personality began to change and he started to go off his food.
Tests found abnormalities with Hugo’s liver enzymes, and the team at DWR diagnosed him with Irritable Bowel Disease and Extra-Hepatic Portosystemic Shunts, which sees blood vessels skip the liver and causes a build-up of toxins.
Vets managed to tie off the affected blood vessel and suggested changes to Hugo’s diet, which Jo said had been life-changing.
And despite a slow recovery – which included Jo visiting DWR each day to hand-feed Hugo when he wouldn’t eat – she said there has been a huge change to his quality of life.
She said: “He is a completely different dog. We definitely did the right thing.
“He’s always been quite fussy and now he lets me know when it’s time for his special food. You can tell he just feels so much better in himself.”
And Rupert is also on the road to recovery – he has not had any seizures for some months due to medication prescribed by specialists at DWR.
Jo said: “Both dogs are doing well and it’s lovely to see them playing together again. I can’t thank the team at DWR enough for their hard work and ongoing support. They’ve really been with us every step of the way.”
Simon Tappin, clinical director at DWR Veterinary Specialists, said: “It’s hard enough having one pet needing treatment, but to have two at the same time is a challenging situation for any pet owner.
“We were pleased that our clinicians were able to help both Hugo and Rupert and it’s great to hear that they’re doing so well.”
DWR Veterinary Specialists offers specialist-led care in anaesthesia and analgesia, dentistry, cardiology, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, diagnostic pathology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, interventional radiology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, ophthalmology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopaedics, physiotherapy and soft tissue surgery.