SAVING ZIGGY
A “miracle” dog who suffered catastrophic injuries in a road accident has made a full recovery, thanks to the expertise of vets and her devoted family.
Joanne Bednall reports.
Clare with the dog she describes as the “perfect family pet”.
Normally, a dog with injuries as severe as Ziggy’s simply shouldn’t have survived.
Yet despite presenting with a crushed liver lobe, punctured lung, fractured ribs, internal bleeding, and blood clots in her heart, the Cocker Spaniel bravely clung to life as the team at Farnham Veterinary Hospital pulled out all the stops to save her.
Faced with their most serious case since the £1.4m practice — Surrey’s largest first-opinion veterinary hospital — opened last April (2021), three vets and five vet nurses whisked the eight-year-old dog straight into theatre for an emergency six-hour operation.
Meanwhile, the spaniel’s distressed owner, Clare Saunders, sat trembling in the waiting room, while reception staff brought her cups of tea and sweet treats to help
combat the shock of events of that late September morning.