BARNEY'S STORY

Barney is a short legged Jack Russell Terrier. He was born in August 2004 and came to his new home in East Coker at 12 weeks old.

Barney was one of the reasons Happy Paws came about. I started walking dogs for other people around the Crewkerne area, to be outdoors again and socialise Barney with lots of different dogs. It was great fun and Barney soon had lots of doggy friends and it kept us fit. The range of services I could offer soon grew, and Barney had a great way of life. He would go to work with me each day, walking many other dogs, meeting new people and loved to travel around in the Happy Paws van. And guarding it of course!!!

However, on June 22nd 2008, Barney appeared to be having difficulty walking and was in a lot of pain in his lower back. It happened very suddenly, and off to the vet immedialty.On this first visit the vet thought it was just muscular pain, so back home to rest! But by Tuesday night he suddenly took a turn for the worst and began to drag his legs and was arching his back, and in a lot of pain again. So back in to the Vet for an x-ray. The vet noticed something irregular in his lower back area, so recommend I see a specialist straight away. The next day we went up to Bristol to Downs Veterinary Practice who specialise in spinal problems. He had an MRI scan which confirmed what the Vet had thought from the scan, which was Degenerative Disc Disease! My partner and I then had to make a decision between surgery or cage rest for 6 weeks. But cage rest meant it could happen all over again in the future, so we went with surgery to sort the problem out and get Barney back to his old self as soon as possible. So he had the surgery the next day.

When we picked him up, it was quite a shock to see his big bandage across his back. He was so pleased to get home. He ate a good meal too, which was a good sign. He has to have lead exercise for 6 weeks, and then things should be back to normal, although we have had to change a few things. No more rough playing with the big dogs, no more jumping up or jumping off things from a great height! We have made some wooden ramps for some of the steps in our house, stair gates everywhere. During Barney's recovery I looked into buying some aids to help him but found it very difficult to find what I wanted all in one place. After hours, days in fact, searching the internet, I manage to find great products, but I must have spent a fortune on postage!

This gave me the idea to start an online shop with all of these products in one place. Dog life jackets, as swimming is great for recovery and the jacket gives them extra support, dog boots, as Barney does drag one of his legs slightly since the operation, ramps, stairs, car booster seat to keep your dog secure and still in the car. Memory foam dog bed, extendable leads, safety gates, soft harness, which helps to lift small dogs too. Interactive and intelligent toys, to keep them mentally stimulated and calm at the same time! The list goes on ...

Our Online Shop with be arriving soon ...

I am also gathering information from various sources about Degenerative Disc Disease.

Do email me if you would like to share your doggy story's ... sarah@happy-paws.co.uk

Information on DDD