Sniper

At Cogges, we see all types of small animals suffering from many different illnesses and following various injuries. In this way we are similar to your own G.P. However, we also work closely with veterinary specialists in different fields for cases that are particularly complicated or unusual.

This was the case for Sniper, one of the rabble of Cogges staff dogs, owned by Claire, one of our vets. He had been showing intermittent signs of mild lameness, so we decided to take some x-rays of his sore shoulder. On the x-rays, we found a tiny fragment of bone sitting in his shoulder joint, which would have been rubbing on the delicate cartilage in the joint. To remove this, specialist equipment & expertise were required, so an appointment was made with an orthopaedic specialist at Great Western Referrals in Swindon .

The joint was examined using an arthroscope, which allows keyhole surgery using a tiny camera. The bony fragment was found and removed. Sniper needed 6 weeks of strict rest with no walks, during which he made his mum feel extremely guilty and got lots of extra fuss!

During recovery from orthopaedic operations, hydrotherapy can often be helpful & Sniper is now loving his twice weekly swims at Vale Hydrotherapy near Wantage. Hydrotherapy can also be useful for dogs suffering from arthritis to help ease pain and maintain mobility. <click on picture to enlarge it>

Claire is now very pleased that Sniper is making a good recovery and able to enjoy his daily walks by the river. She is also extremely glad that he has been insured since he was a pup to enable all this treatment to be carried out.