UK: Retired greyhound wins award for battling rare brain dis

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From www.wwgazette.co.uk

Retired greyhound wins award for battling rare brain disease

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A panting Prince in March this year during his treatment for a rare brain
disease

A brave greyhound that nearly lost his life battling a rare brain disease
has won an award from a Locks Heath vets.

Five-year-old Prince collapsed at home and was rushed to Heathside
Veterinary Surgery last December where vets suspected he could have a
neurological problem.

It was a fearful moment for the former racing dog's owner Malcolm Smith,
when Prince had to be taken to Luton for an emergency MRI scan at Davies
Veterinary Specialist after a referral from the Locks Road practice.

The 45-year-old feared Prince - who used to race in Poole under the name
Longvalley Rio - wouldn't make it.

A scan revealed fluid had built up on the dog's brain that was pushing it
back into the skull.

Prince was then diagnosed with a sterile inflammatory brain disease.

Mr Smith, of Woodrush Crescent, was delighted that the Locks Heath surgery
gave Prince the Braveheart Award for July.

He said: "On that day Prince came down for breakfast and walked back into
the wall. He was really unsteady. We knew something was wrong and we rushed
him in to the vets who referred us to the specialist.

"He would have died if we hadn't got him there quickly. The swelling on his
brain was forcing his brain to the back of his skull. It was killing him.

"He was really skinny and wouldn't eat his food. It was really scary.
Although we'd only had him a short space of time, after getting him last
August, we didn't want to lose him."

During his illness, Prince went from being around 35kg to 26kg and lost
muscle tone. He had an eye ulcer as a side effect from the disease and after
the intense treatment his hair has not yet grown back.

But with steroids and a routine chemotherapeutic drug treatment called
Cytarabine, Mr Smith, his wife Allison, 46, and son Stuart, 14, have been
glad to see Prince returning to his leaping and bounding ways.

"He's sleeping upside down like he used to before he was ill," added Mr
Smith. "He'll be in the garden sunbathing. Some of his normal
characteristics are back; he's cheeky again."

Mr Smith commended the specialist vets and was astounded by the Heathside
Vets award, adding: "I'm really surprised and shocked.

"They've been very supportive. They've given us good advice as to what to
look out for, we can't fault them.

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Malcolm Smith and pet Prince win the Braveheart Award at Heathside
Veterinary Surgery

"It's never going to go away and there is always the risk it might come back
and he might relapse. It's a case of keeping the treatment going."

Student vet nurse Bianca Collings, who organised the award, said: "This
month the vote was unanimous for Prince. He has been the perfect patient for
us at the surgery taking his treatments with no fuss at all.

"We like to award it to animals and their owners that are more unusual cases
or those taking more effort and strength to recover.

"For Mr Smith taking him from here up to Luton showed his commitment to his
pet. It was a very worrying time.

"Jessica Sage, the vet who has been treating him, had to do research into
the disease and the new treatment. She's gone the extra mile for him as
well. So it's lovely for us to see him slowly recover."