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Emergency vets battled to give elderly Eddie a fighting chance
An elderly dog who was run over twice and on the brink of death with terrible injuries has made an astonishing recovery – thanks to expert vet care and the love of his owner.
Twelve-year-old Border Collie Eddie was flattened on his morning walk when he strayed into the path of a two-ton sports utility vehicle.
Poor Eddie was crushed first by the front wheel on the driver’s side – and then by the rear wheel.
The horrific accident left Eddie with multiple injuries including six fractured ribs, a collapsed lung and a damaged abdominal wall.
And it left owner Robin Murray, a retired GP, in shock after witnessing it all.
But now, after a six-week battle for life involving 24/7 vets care, Eddie is – totally against the odds – walking again.
Robin said: “I’m a doctor not a vet of course, but I honestly can’t quite believe that Eddie is not just still with us but back to his old self.
“When the accident happened and I saw Eddie immobile in the road I immediately thought, ‘He’s gone.’
“At Eddie’s age, I think some dog owners might, quite understandably, have made the decision that it wasn’t viable to try to save him.
“But I just couldn’t have lived with myself if we hadn’t given Eddie every possible chance to recover given that the vets felt there was a chance.
“By doing that – and thanks to the outstanding vets care he’s received – Eddie is back on his feet, without any long-term effects.
“It really is an incredible turn-around and shows what can happen if you keep the faith and keep trying.”
The accident happened on a quiet country lane near Robin’s home on the outskirts of Durham.
The four-wheel-drive Jaguar came round a bend and Eddie wandered into its path.
Robin said: “There was nothing the driver could do. She was even more upset than me and very kindly gave me and Eddie a lift to my local vet.
“The vet there saved Eddie’s life. He’d previously worked for Vets Now and recommended we transfer Eddie to Vets Now to be looked after overnight, so that’s what we did.”
The team at our Gateshead pet emergency clinic worked through the night to stabilise Eddie, get more fluid and pain relief into him and carry out a full assessment of his litany of injuries.
Robin said: “The staff at Vets Now were superb with Eddie, and very kind with me.
“I asked if they thought I would need to have Eddie put to sleep and they were very honest – saying that couldn’t be ruled out but saying they thought there was real hope for him, if I was prepared to give it a go.”
During Eddie’s stay in our care, our team were particularly worried about an injury to his pelvis and recommended he be transferred to the specialist Moorview Referrals animal hospital in Cramlington – where he spent 14 days in intensive care.
Eddie had to have his broken ribs braced with metal plating, which immediately made it easier for him to breathe.
He also had his abdominal wall rupture repaired and a tendon reattached to his pelvis.
He was so unwell he couldn’t eat and his blood protein levels dropped so his tissues swelled up dangerously.
But treatment resolved this to the extent that he lost 3kg in fluid overnight, and his subsequent progress was remarkable.
He was eventually moved out of intensive care and then, finally, he was able to go home with Robin.
The next day Eddie was able to stand on his own four paws to eat his breakfast, and a couple of weeks later he was walking again.
Robin said: “I’ve wept buckets over this. It’s been incredibly emotional. But I’ve had Eddie for ten years and he is an integral part of my family.
“He was an agility dog who wasn’t any good at agility – and I took him in as a rescue dog when he was two.
“But everything he lacked in agility he has more than made up for in companionship and character.”
Ashley Wemple, our senior nurse in Gateshead, said: “Eddie is a very brave dog and he’s blessed to have an owner like Robin.
“When Robin brought him in our staff could see how close he was to Eddie and just how much Eddie meant to him.
“We’ve been keeping in touch with Robin and when we heard that Eddie was walking again there was a huge cheer in the clinic.
“Our job can be very distressing at times – but to be involved in an inspirational case like this makes it all worthwhile.”
Robin said: “Eddie’s the true hero here. What a dog he is! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped get him back on his feet.”