Six Mile Bottom vets Dick White Referrals saves Hadleigh dog after it contracts tetanus

A much-loved pet who was at death’s door after being struck down by tetanus is recovering thanks to swift action by vets at Six Mile Bottom near Newmarket.

English springer spaniel Brian suffered such a severe attack of the disease his body went into almost total lockdown. He was left battling to breathe, not able to walk, eat, drink or urinate, and fighting for his life.

Brian’s owner and breeder, Susan Musselwhite, from Hadleigh, said: “There didn’t seem much hope when I saw him before he was taken off for treatment. He 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 one and a half year-old was referred to Linnaeus-owned Dick White Referrals (DWR), where expert vets Ines de Freitas and Christophe Dupont took charge of his case.

“Tetanus is a toxin produced by bacteria that finds its way into the body through an open wound,” said Ines. “Brian needed heavy sedation and muscle relaxants to counteract the stiffness in his muscles.

"This posed a big challenge as we needed to give him continuous drug infusions and monitor him very closely to ensure his airways were protected from regurgitation and there was a risk of infection spreading to his other vital body organs."

"There are no medications that can treat tetanus directly so it’s a disease where, once established, the aim is to keep the pet alive and try to give the body time to heal,” she added.

“Brian’s case was challenging but happily, despite his dire and fragile state on arrival, he responded well to his treatment, including physiotherapy sessions which soon had him walking again.”

After two weeks at the state-of-the-art veterinary hospital Brian was allowed home to continue his recovery.

“It’s incredible,” said Susan. “He was at death’s door and I honestly feared I’d never see him again alive but now you wouldn’t know there had ever been anything wrong with him.”