Cambridgeshire vets save the life of springer spaniel after tetanus attack

A beloved English springer spaniel that suffered a severe attack of tetanus that left him fighting for his life was treated at Dick White Referrals (DWR) in Six Mile Bottom.

The stricken dog, Brian, was referred to the Linnaeus-owned clinic where vets Ines de Freitas and Christophe Dupont took charge of the challenging case.

Ines, a clinical fellow in neurology and neurosurgery, said: “Tetanus is a toxin produced by bacteria that finds its way into the body through an open wound. It spreads to cause severe muscle rigidity and, on arrival at DWR, Brian’s muscles were stiff to the degree that he couldn’t walk, eat, drink or urinate.

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“He was even struggling to expand his chest to breathe so we admitted him straight into our intensive care unit. 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.”