A YOUNG puppy was left fighting for his life after swallowing a deadly toxin, but has made a miracle recovery after care at one of the UK’s top small animal hospitals in County Durham.

Toby, a Labrador/border collie cross, was six months old when he was rushed to Linnaeus-owned Wear Referrals, in County Durham, where he was treated in intensive care for three days after being left stricken by a lethal toxin.

Wear’s head of internal medicine Chiara Giannasi took charge of the case and said it was a race against time to save the puppy’s life.

Chiara, a specialist in small animal internal medicine, said: “Toby had ingested a lethal toxin and had immediately become very wobbly and started vomiting.

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“His symptoms started to progress very quickly and, if he had not been treated swiftly, they could have led to seizures, coma and death.

“He was immediately hospitalised in our intensive care unit (ICU) where he was given intravenous intralipid transfusions to bind the toxin and help eliminate the danger.

“Toby also received other supportive medications and was constantly monitored and cared for over the weekend. Happily, he responded remarkably well and has made a complete recovery.”

Toby’s relieved owner Alex Crooks, from Middlesbrough, said she feared the worst and praised the excellent care given by Chiara and Wear’s ICU team.

Alex said: “We first noticed a problem around midday and by 3pm Toby had deteriorated quite badly.

“The problem was ingestion of some a flea control which, had Toby been full Labrador, may not have caused the same reaction.

“Our own vets referred Toby to Wear the same evening, where we were advised this could be fatal.

“As you can imagine it was horrible for all of us as he was still only a puppy. Toby was clearly in trouble. He was struggling to walk, nervy and jumpy as if seeing ghosts.

“We were extremely concerned, however, as he was young and otherwise fit, we kept positive.

“Wear took exceptional care of Toby. He went straight into intensive care and had nurses with him 24 hours a day.

“Chiara rang us morning and evening to explain the treatment and how he was doing. We were so appreciative.

“I would definitely recommend Wear to any pet owner, because the care they gave Toby was incredible. We’re so grateful.

“Toby’s made a miracle recovery and amazingly was back to his old self within a couple of weeks.”

Wear specialises in providing multidisciplinary care, including oncology, neurology, orthopaedics, soft tissue, internal medicine, cardiology, intensive care and diagnostic imaging.

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