When Brodie the terrier spotted a bin lorry near his Co Down home, life changed in a flash.
The feisty little mixed breed took on the huge truck and came off worse, leaving him with spinal injuries, unable to walk or bear his own weight and he was in terrible pain.
But today, almost eight months on, Brodie is back lunging at life full pelt thanks to the care and dedication of his mum Aveen Smyth and the expertise of emergency vets and rehabilitation vet specialists.
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Siobhan Menzies from Holistic Pet Vet Rehab and Pain Management said the change in Brodie has been remarkable.
She said: “Brodie probably doesn't know how lucky he is but he had four situations that lined up perfectly for him and helped him make a fantastic recovery.
“Firstly his mum Aveen was nearby when the accident happened and was able to get him to safety quickly and from there on she dedicated months of her life to making sure he got the best care.
“Secondly Brodie was looked after by compassionate and talented vets who could see there was hope and worked to protect him from any other damage as quickly as possible.
“Thirdly Earlswood Vet Hospital in Belfast called on our holistic services to boost healing and take recovery to the next level.
“And finally Brodie was one determined and energetic little dog who we could really tell wanted to be up and at it again.
"We believe he knew they were helping him and his mum carrying out further rehab at home on a meticulous timetable, Brodie is back up on all fours and racing about.x
“It’s so heartening to see the improvement knowing that he was really almost completely immobile when we first met him.”
Brodie was at home in Banbridge when he was startled by a passing bin lorry and he managed to bolt from the security of his garden to the truck and managed to cause himself severe spinal bruising and shock on impact with the lorry.
“Aveen brought Brodie to us from her home in Banbridge to East Belfast on the bus, literally carrying him when he couldn’t stand or sit comfortably and she kept coming for months.
“During that time Brodie was treated in a number of ways using physiotherapy techniques, including acupuncture, hydrotherapy, laser, pulsed electromagnetic field therapy and neuromuscular stimulation.
"He'd suffered what we call a fibrocartilaginous embolism which is basically a sudden spinal cord injury as a result of a sudden blockage of a vessels blood supply to an area of the spinal cord.
“Brodie’s was damaged when he impacted the bin lorry and the results were immediate leaving him unable to bear his own weight or walk.. and for Brodie who is a live wire, that was a disaster.
“After the accident he spent a couple weeks in Earlswood Veterinary Hospital for some treatment and there he started rehab with our team.
“He literally came on in leaps and bounds. The vet and nursing teams put the work in, Aveen put an awful lot of work in and Brodie did his bit too.
“Everyone was pulling in the right direction and thankfully today, while Brodie has a little bit of residual pain and occasionally has a change in his gait, he is flying.
“From hospitalisation to home took weeks and at home Aveen carried on all the hard work, the physiotherapy that has to be consistent to work at its best.
“And now Brodie comes to see us once a month to check his progress and continue his recovery and soon his visits will lessen as he goes on with his life.
“July 16, 2021 was a terrible day for Brodie and Aveen but all these months on, he is a picture of health and doing incredibly well.”
Aveen said all the bus journeys between Belfast and Banbdridge, learning the physio techniques and the patience needed to nurse Brodie for months have now paid off.
She said: “I’d do anything for him. Life just stopped for Brodie. Even at nine years old, he is a feisty and fun little fellow and being unable to move about, walk or even stand was a struggle for him both physically and mentally.
“There was a moment when I had to contemplate him being put to sleep which was horrendous. But knowing his personality, I felt he wanted a chance to get better so I was determined to do everything possible to make it happen and thankfully the vets agreed.
“Eight months on Brodie is up on all fours, he is fast as lightning playing with other dogs in the park and he is on a very low dose of pain relief once a day.
“He has got me through some tough times in recent years and in the last few months it was my turn to repay the favour.
“I can’t say it was easy with all the travelling and carrying 20kg of dog on a bus and then carrying him to the vets, but we did it and I think he knew I was helping him.
“I would have regretted not trying to help him for the rest of my life, and looking back now all I wanted to hear was how much of a chance Brodie had to walk again.
“With very little thought I agreed to give his recovery the best chance possible and thankfully with the vet teams and helping him, and then teaching me how to carry on the physiotherapy work at home, we got there.”
