Some sad news has reached Andy walks HQ this morning.

Gizmo, a little dog who has been enjoying walks with us for a while now, was taken by his owner to the local vet last week to investigate an issue with one of his claws. The owner was asked to leave the room while the vet carried out the examination. When Gizmo arrived home, his owner discovered he couldn’t walk or use his back legs. So he went back to the vet where it was discovered that a part of his back had somehow suffered severe damage. Gizmo was then transferred to a specialist vet some distance away, where he has now had an operation, but will need major therapy to try to get him back on his feet.

Both Georgia and I would like to send our thoughts and best wishes to Gizmo and his family at this terrible time.

A number of questions have been raised by this chain of events, not least of which is how and when the damage to Gizmo’s back occurred.

My personal thought is that is was very strange for a vet to ask an owner to leave the room when something as minor as a damaged claw was being investigated. In general, a vet will want the owner there to help control and reassure their pet in what is always a stressful situation for any animal. The owner’s presence is usually a big help. My advice to worried owners is always to stay with their pets whenever possible. If your vet doesn’t allow this, I would seriously suggest you change your vet practice without delay.

Any concerned owners of any type of animal are welcome to contact me on 07837 306824 if they need details of alternative veterinary practices in the area.

I will keep you updated on Gizmo’s situation when I have more news.