EXPERTS at a Winchester animal hospital were quick to set the wheels in motion to help transform the life of a paralysed golden retriever.
Eight-year-old Hamish was referred to Linnaeus-owned Anderson Moores Veterinary Specialists after his owners had discovered their beloved pet collapsed and unable to walk.
Hamish had suffered damage to his spinal cord and was unable to walk but he was soon out and about again after being harnessed to a specially designed set of wheels as he underwent an intensive course of physiotherapy at Anderson Moores.
Laura Allmark, Anderson Moores’ head of veterinary physiotherapy, said the recovering retriever thoroughly enjoyed the chance to be mobile again and has now gone on to make a good recovery.
She said: “Hamish was the very first patient to use our new set of ‘Eddie’s Wheels’, which is a specially-designed and manufactured clinic cart for injured or paralysed pets.
“He absolutely loved being able to mobilise safely and comfortably while fully supported in our new clinic cart. He certainly didn’t want to be wheeled back into the hospital afterwards and tried to ‘put the brakes on’!
“The wheels proved a big boost for Hamish, who was unable to use his left hindlimb and had very little strength in his right, but they were also a huge help for the physiotherapy team, too.
“Large dogs such as Hamish are very difficult to mobilise, so he was an excellent candidate for Eddie’s Wheels.
“The cart means we are able to get our bigger, non-ambulatory pets out easily without straining our backs and this set of wheels is definitely going to be utilised a lot by our physiotherapy team in the future.
“It is fully adjustable so can be used for a wide variety of dogs and hopefully, like Hamish, they will also go on to make real progress and good recoveries.”
Owners Tony and Jackie Barr, from Teddington, South West London, were certainly full of praise for Laura and the Anderson Moores team.
Tony said: “Anderson Moores and Laura gave Hamish a level of care that many humans would be envious of and we are extremely grateful and relieved.
“He’s my first dog and I was so distressed over this and so grateful for the great treatment he received. It was a very scary time and we were very worried but Hamish is remarkably well again now.
“We are giving him a daily massage at home but he’s now walking unaided although he’s still a bit wobbly at the rear.
“Hamish starts hydrotherapy soon and we’re all hoping he’ll continue to make progress and make a good recovery.”
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