A ‘miracle’ dog is continuing to defy the odds – scooping multiple agility awards despite having nearly half of her lung removed.
Cocker Spaniel Ella Brisco was rushed to our state-of-the-art hospital following unexpected and uncommon complications from a routine operation.
The pup had gone into renal failure and received treatment from our industry-leading emergency critical care team, with vets later discovering she also had a severe infection which caused pneumonia and most of her total lung tissue to turn into an abscess.
Part of the lung had to be removed, which Ella was recovering well from, but five days after surgery, she began to deteriorate due to a leak in the lung. She had to undergo another operation to seal the leak and remove some more of the damaged organ.
Owner Debbie Brisco, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, said: “Ella had to undergo life or death surgery, which she was slowly recovering from before a leak on her lung meant she had to undergo a further operation.
“After staying at Willows for three weeks, she was discharged. With the love, care and attention she got at Willows and at home, Ella went on to make a full recovery and has had no other complications since.”
Ella’s health issues meant taking a break from agility training, which she had previously enjoyed taking part in. However, just seven months after her lifesaving surgery at Willows, she began competing for awards.
Since then, she hasn’t looked back, scooping trophies for her agility. She is now on her way to her Grade 7 agility – the highest level which can be achieved.
Debbie added: “Ella absolutely loves her agility. You would not know she had half of her lung removed. She is still as loopy as any other working cocker spaniel and is five years-old now. It’s not impacted her performance one bit.
“I cannot thank the team at The Willows enough for what they did for Ella and saving her life. She is a fighter and they did their very best to fight for Ella and we shall always be grateful.
“Their expertise, care and love certainly paid off and she now lives a normal, hectic life. The staff at Willows called her ‘Their Miracle Girl’, and she certainly is.”
Everyone here at Willows is delighted with Ella’s progress since her multidisciplinary treatment.
Kine Elmenhorst, RCVS Recognised Specialist in Small Animal Surgery, said: “Ella’s owner knew she may never be able to return to her competitive agility level, so we are really pleased to hear she’s still winning awards at the top level.
“We are so proud of our miracle girl Ella for her achievements following her struggles early in life!”
