Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.

Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Dog receives life-changing spinal surgery
Milo is now fully recovered and back on all fours.

French bulldog Milo is fully recovered after the ordeal.

Specialist vets have carried out life-changing spinal surgery on a French bulldog, to enable him to walk again.

Five-year-old Milo was paralysed in all four legs, and in great pain, when he was referred to Cave Veterinary Specialists, a Somerset animal hospital, as an emergency case. 

Milo is now fully recovered and back on all fours after he received expert care from neurology specialists Simon Bertram and Tom Cardy at Cave, the Linnaeus-owned referral centre. 

Morgan Brazington, Milo's relieved owner from Appledore, North Devon, said: “Cave were amazing, superb and I’m so thankful.

“Simon was so informative and straight to the point and I couldn’t have felt more reassured when we left Milo with him. Tom managed our follow up appointments and honestly his service and Simon’s have been second to none!

“Best of all, Milo is now home again and back to his usual cheeky self. He really is a one in a million and is famous in Appledore where people recognise him over me!”

Morgan admitted that she was very worried about Milo's chances of survival, saying: “I was hideously concerned about him and thought that perhaps I would have had to put him to sleep due to the severity of his condition.

“I was very sad and worried for his ongoing life and how much he would be able to do in the future but everything has turned out so well.”

Simon Bertram, Cave's neurology specialist, led Milo's case. Revealing the full extent of Milo's problem, he said: “Milo was referred to us at Cave as an emergency and when he arrived, he was unable to walk without help, showing paralysis of all four legs and had a very painful neck.

“He immediately underwent an MRI scan which showed an intervertebral disc in his neck had slipped and that there was a marked compression of his cervical spinal cord causing the paralysis.

“After discussions with Morgan we decided to move him straight to the operating theatre to give him the best chance to make a quick, pain-free and full recovery.

“The surgery was successful with all the slipped-out material removed to relieve the compression of the spinal cord and the results were almost immediate. After the surgery the pain was gone and the next day he was walking without help again.

“Milo continued to make a speedy recovery and was able to go home a day later and now he is back out and about again without any problems.”

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.