'None of us had seen a dog with this condition': Hero Telford vets give German Shepherd a 'second chance at life'
A dog has been given a “second chance at life” after receiving ground-breaking treatment at a veterinary surgery in Telford.
Ryan Davis, of Southwater Veterinary Group in Stafford Park, carried out the procedure on nine-month-old Cody after he was referred by another veterinary practice.
The German Shepherd had been born with an extremely rare condition which meant the urinary tract was not fully formed, causing major health problems likely to limit his life expectancy.
Ryan said: “We often take referrals from practices which have exhausted all their available options and require our surgical expertise.
“We work with practices all over the West Midlands and Wales carrying out procedures such as ultrasound and CTs, endoscopy, laparoscopy and - as in this case - soft tissue surgery.
“This particular case was unusual in the extreme; none of us had ever seen a dog with this kind of condition, and without surgery he was unlikely to lead a very happy life.
“In layman’s terms, the urinary tract hadn’t formed properly which meant it was very difficult for the dog to urinate - obviously an unpleasant situation for him and any prospective owner, but more importantly was causing life-threatening infections.
“We carried out surgery to effectively create a new means of him being able to relieve himself, which required some creative thinking and a very delicate operation.
“I am not aware of many examples of this kind of surgery being done - it is a very niche technique - and we are delighted to report that it seems to have been a success.
“Cody’s a lovely dog and it’s great that we have been able to give him a second chance after a very difficult start in life.”
Southwater Veterinary Group is based in Stafford Court, Stafford Park, and was formed by Ryan Davis and Rob Hamilton, both experienced veterinary surgeons who take referrals and train other vets in complex animal surgery.
For more information visit www.southwatervets.co.uk.
