The Yorkshire Vet: Thin Diesel’s recovery a joy to behold - Julian Norton
This story starts in a very sad place. But without wishing to spoil the ending, things turn out happily in the end so, if you can cope, please read on. A terribly poorly lurcher was brought to our practice in Thirsk a few weeks ago. He was, undoubtedly, one of the thinnest dogs that anyone had ever seen and so weak that he could not stand. A horse rider had spotted him lying in a ditch. I imagine she had a good view from atop the horse, which was fortunate for the dog as this lady saved his life. There were no clues as to how long he’d been there, or the circumstances of him getting there, but the stick lodged across the roof of his mouth suggested he must have been wandering aimlessly and incapable of eating for some time. I presumed he’d got lost whilst chasing rabbits or hares and become progressively weak, lying in the ditch, waiting for death to overcome him. Others took the more sinister view that he’d been deliberately abandoned. Either way, our job was to nurture him back to health, initially with intravenous fluids, food, removal of the offending stick and management of the secondary infection.
A horse rider had spotted him lying in a ditch. I imagine she had a good view from atop the horse, which was fortunate for the dog as this lady saved his life. There were no clues as to how long he’d been there, or the circumstances of him getting there, but the stick lodged across the roof of his mouth suggested he must have been wandering aimlessly and incapable of eating for some time. I presumed he’d got lost whilst chasing rabbits or hares and become progressively weak, lying in the ditch, waiting for death to overcome him. Others took the more sinister view that he’d been deliberately abandoned. Either way, our job was to nurture him back to health, initially with intravenous fluids, food, removal of the offending stick and management of the secondary infection.
We scanned him and found a microchip, which led us to his breeder, who lived in Norfolk and had sold him a year previously as a puppy. We couldn’t find his most recent owner, but did discover that his name was Diesel. Despite his condition, there was a flicker of recognition when his name was called. If he’d had the strength, I’m sure he would have wagged his tail, but even the muscles of his tail were too weak to work. At least his hollow eyes gave a flicker of appreciation.
His skin was thin, with hair over only half his body. There were no muscles underneath, just bones. He stayed with us for a week, gradually gaining strength day by day. Compared to his damp ditch, the comfort of his kennel with soft, fluffy bedding and food on tap was luxury beyond his comprehension. Heart-wrenching as Diesel’s case was, his progress was heart-warming in the extreme. We’d arranged somewhere for him to stay for the next month or so, and then his original Norfolk-owners, devastated by what had happened, were coming to take him home. On the final day of his stay with us, he had a spring in his step and even tried to play, skipping and jumping as much as his weak legs could manage.
A week later, Diesel was back for a check-up. Everything was progressing as planned; his hair was starting to grow back and the damage to the roof of his mouth was healing quickly. All the nurses took it in turns to play with him, fussing his thin head and ruffling his prominent ears. By now, his tail was wagging with enthusiasm if not power, and he could even follow commands to sit and lie down for a treat. Evidently, he could remember those who had helped him recover in the early days of his rescue. And the weighing scales did not lie; with a carefully controlled high calorie diet, he was not such a thin Diesel as two weeks ago. But whatever the numbers on the scales were, it was the smiling eyes, the wagging tail and the playful demeanour which showed us everything we wanted to see. As always in veterinary practice, desperately sad times present themselves- cases that we can’t make better and doting owners upset beyond consolation, but happy patients come along at just the right time- a puppy for a first vaccination or a treatment that saves a life. Diesel, and his spectacular recovery, was a perfect case in point.