Polly had always lived her life to the full, as is the fashion of every Jack Russell, even recently, despite her grand age of (almost) 15. However, one morning in October she was unable to get up from her bed.
It was clear that she was unable to use her back legs. Fearing the worst, her worried owners, David and Sharon Quilter, rushed her to her usual vet, Brian Faulkner at Saxon vets, in Wickham Market.
Brian had presumptively diagnosed a ruptured intervertebral disc, and immediately referred Polly to Christchurch Referrals in Ipswich. Later that morning, MRI scans were performed and a ruptured intervertebral disc was confirmed in Polly’s mid-back, compressing her spinal cord and paralysing her hind limbs.
Decompressive spinal surgery was swiftly undertaken and the offending disc material was completely removed from her spinal canal.
Polly remained hospitalised for the first week and received daily physiotherapy. It was clear that she was recovering very well and upon her discharge from Christchurch Referrals she was using her back legs rather well.
David recounts: “Surgery was performed by Shane Morrison and she was back on her feet the next day. She’s made rapid progress since then and is now back to her normal Jack Russellness”.
Polly was reassessed recently and everyone at Christchurch Referrals is so pleased that she has made a full recovery.
