A young Italian Greyhound pup who was unable to walk due to severe neurological conditions is now on her feet thanks to a leading Essex animal hospital who built a custom-made titanium plate to cover part of her skull.

Two-month-old Bella was found unable to walk by her shocked owners and rushed to Linnaeus-owned Southfields Veterinary Specialists in Basildon, where an expert team was waiting to treat the seriously-ill puppy.

Bella’s medical plight started after an unknown accident had left her with a skull fracture, causing blood to compress on her brain.

Her best chance of survival was an emergency operation to decompress the area, remove bone fragments and the blood build-up, and then cover the missing part of her skull with a titanium plate.

Bella’s owner, Mr Gagen, from Greenwich in London, said: “We were shocked when we learnt what was wrong with Bella and also very concerned about the surgical procedure.

“However, Southfields took excellent care of Bella and we would thoroughly recommend them to other pet owners.”

Beth Mahon, neurology resident at Southfields, said: “Bella came to Southfields as an emergency after her very concerned owners found her unable to walk and yelping.

“The surgery was challenging as Bella was so tiny at the time of the operation, and it’s also quite rare to perform this type of procedure.

“Following discussion with Bella’s owners about the risks and benefits of surgery, it was opted for Bella to undergo decompressive surgery. A cranioplasty is when the void in the skull must be covered with a titanium plate. This was custom-made during the surgery and she will live with this plate for all her life.

“Bella required a lot of care and attention and the neurology and the wards team were heavily involved in her treatment and recovery. The neurology team for the diagnosis and surgery, and the wards team played a huge part in her rehabilitation.

“She needed extensive physiotherapy to help. She gradually improved and was able to move all four limbs again.

“We are extremely pleased with her recovery and we hope she will continue to improve over the coming months.”

Southfields, which moved into its state-of-the-art £16 million Basildon hospital last summer, offers specialist services such as anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, dentistry, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, exotics, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, radiation and soft tissue surgery.

For more information, go to www.southfields.co.uk or search Southfields Veterinary Specialists on social media.
​