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A Cambridgeshire vet saved a beloved English Springer Spaniel after a severe tetanus attack left the dog unable to walk, eat, drink and even breathe. One-year-old Brian’s body went into complete lockdown after the attack, leaving his owner fearing that he would not make it.
Owner and breeder, Susan Musselwhite, from Hadleigh, in Suffolk, said she thought Brian “was at death’s door” and feared she would “never see him again alive.” However, the stricken dog was referred to Linnaeus-owned Dick White Referrals (DWR), in Cambridgeshire, where expert vets Ines de Freitas and Christophe Dupont took charge of the challenging case.
Ines, a clinical fellow in neurology and neurosurgery, said: “Tetanus is a toxin produced by bacteria that finds its way into the body through an open wound. It spreads to cause severe muscle rigidity and, on arrival at DWR, Brian’s muscles were stiff to the degree that he couldn’t walk, eat, drink or urinate.
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“He was even struggling to expand his chest to breathe so we admitted him straight into our intensive care unit. Brian needed heavy sedation and muscle relaxants to counteract the stiffness in his muscles.”
She continued: “His heart rate, oxygenation, ventilation and fluid intake were also carefully monitored and he had a urinary catheter placed to monitor urine production. He was fed via a tube to keep him healthy and strong to fight this life-threatening disease.”
Tackling the tetanus was not the only challenge. Further tests and examinations revealed that Brian was also suffering from aspiration pneumonia which not only further compromised his ability to breathe, but presented a risk of infection spreading to his other vital body organs.
After two weeks in hospital he was able to return home to rest and be reunited with his owner. Susan was delighted with his recovery and praised the DWR team.
She said: “I’m so grateful. When you breed dogs, you can’t help but get personally involved with them and he’s such a lovely, kind-natured dog so I really wanted to give him every chance. There didn’t seem much hope when I saw him before he was taken off for treatment. Brian was as stiff as a board, like he’d just been taken out of a freezer.
It was really upsetting and I was totally distraught so it was such a relief to see him again and know he’d come through. The level of care Brian received from Dick White Referrals was excellent. They showed real compassion and empathy and communicated fully throughout. I cannot give the DWR team enough praise.”
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