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ID:	54262 A miracle dog called Daisy has amazed specialist vets at a top Surrey animal hospital with her defiant battle against cancer.

The 11-year-old Westie was referred to North Downs Specialist Referrals (NDSR) in Bletchingley with owner Stephanie Price, from Reigate, admitting she feared the worst, with her beloved pet unable to walk and facing a possible amputation on top of her cancer treatment.

Daisy had other ideas, though, and, in what’s now regarded as a unique case, the tenacious terrier has astonished both Stephanie and NDSR oncology specialist Gerry Polton with her remarkable response to treatment.

A relieved Stephanie said: “She’s such a brave little dog and I must admit I’m dumbfounded and delighted by her recovery.

“The cancer in her left hind leg had eaten away so much of her bone that Gerry was amazed her leg had not broken because it was so thin and diminished.

“I honestly thought he was going to say there was nothing that could be done for her and that the kindest thing would be to put her down.

“I was prepared for that but Gerry believed there was still hope and still something that could be done, which convinced me to give her every chance to come through this ordeal.”

Gerry, an RCVS and European specialist in oncology and clinical director at Linnaeus-owned NDSR, explained: “Daisy was suffering from cancer in her left thigh bone and ruptured cruciate ligaments in both knee joints.

“The main concern was that the diseased thigh bone was going to spontaneously fracture because it was so thin due to the underlying cancerous disease process.

“Normally we would amputate the limb but poor Daisy already couldn’t walk properly because neither of her back legs worked well as a result of the ruptures of both cruciate ligaments.

“So, we proposed an alternative surgical procedure to address the knee joint instability on the right back leg in the hope that we would be able to manage the cancerous leg well enough for it to last another six weeks.

“In that time, we hoped Daisy’s right leg would have recovered from the operation and she would be mobile enough to tolerate the inevitable amputation.”

The operation to repair and strengthen her right leg went well and she was allowed home to, in Stephanie’s words, “be wrapped in cotton wool” while taking pain-relief medicine and chemotherapy tablets.

Six weeks later, Daisy duly returned to NDSR for a thorough post-operative check-up ahead of the expected amputation of her left leg.

However, Gerry discovered a dramatic turnaround in her condition, revealing: “We couldn’t have been more delighted when we saw Daisy skipping along six weeks after her right knee operation.

“Then we saw the X-rays of the left hind leg with the tumour and there had been a massive improvement in the stability of the left thigh where the cancer had previously been so destructive.

“The improvement was so marked that no amputation was needed after all, meaning Daisy got to keep both her back legs – and have better use in both of them, too.

“She continues to receive medical treatment for her cancer, which has so far conferred no side-effects whatsoever, so everything in this case has exceeded all expectations.”

Stephanie added: “I had to sit in the car waiting for Gerry’s update because of the Covid restrictions and as he walked across the car park, he looked very serious with a dead-pan expression.

“It did not look good but then Gerry told me that everyone at NDSR was calling Daisy ‘the miracle dog’ because her thigh bone had started to strengthen and grow.

“It was wonderful news. She really is a special dog and a real character. She’s still taking her chemotherapy tablets, needs blood tests every two months and X-rays every four months to keep a check on the cancer, but she’s doing amazingly well.

“I cannot speak highly enough about Gerry and the care and treatment of Daisy at NDSR. They are very loving and caring people. Gerry has even called up several times to see how Daisy’s progressing and you don’t get that on the NHS do you?”

NDSR offers specialist-led services in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, soft tissue surgery and spinal surgery.

For more information visit: https://www.ndsr.co.uk/home or search for North Downs Specialist Referrals on social media.

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ID:	54266 Eleven-year-old Westie Daisy has beaten the odds thanks to innovative oncology treatment at North Downs Specialist Referrals in Surrey