WELLY, a near paralysed dachshund, took a trip to Wellington and has re-booted after a spinal operation.

The three-year-old dog lost the use of her back legs overnight and was referred to Cave Veterinary Specialists for treatment.

Hattie Ball, Welly’s owner from Saltash in Cornwall, can barely believe the transformation in her beloved pet.

“It all happened so quickly and was such a shock and a scare,” said Hattie.

“The evening before Welly was not herself - she was very quiet and tired.

“She managed to go to the toilet before bed but was very wobbly and by the morning she was unable to use her back legs at all.

“We took her straight to Albert Cottage Veterinary Clinic in Saltash, who were fantastic and referred her directly to the specialists at Cave.

“We arrived at Cave by 2pm and she was operated on the same day, which was tremendous.

“Her recovery has been amazing; she’s come on in leaps and bounds. She’s doing great, going for walks on the beach and playing with her ball.

“It’s absolutely incredible to have the old Welly back.

“I can’t thank Tom and the whole Cave team enough for everything they did for her.”

The aim of Welly’s surgery was to remove the disc extrusion to decompress the spinal cord and allow her to regain movement.

“It is an intricate procedure which involves removing a portion of the vertebra to expose the spinal cord and gently remove the extruded disc material,” added Tom Cardy, co-clinical director at Cave.

“Surgery was a success and happily Welly has recovered very well and is mobile again.

“The breed is predisposed to this type of intervertebral disc trouble so Welly’s condition should be carefully monitored in the future. However, we are very pleased with her progress.”

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