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A dog, whose crippling arthritis became so bad he was almost put to sleep to end his misery, is now able to walk again – thanks to PDSA vets.

Bill the Springer Spaniel was so riddled with the condition that at his lowest point he could barely rise from his bed. And when he did, he was only able to drag his back legs across the floor.

Owner Doreen Fawcett (64) from Walker, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, said she was left devastated at how quickly her loving and energetic companion deteriorated before her eyes.

She said: “Bill has suffered from arthritis for several years and was on medication for it but a few months ago he suddenly became really poorly.

“He collapsed and couldn’t walk at all. He just went downhill so quickly it was absolutely awful. I was crying my eyes out because I knew he was suffering so much.”

Doreen immediately took eleven-year-old Bill to PDSA’s Newcastle Pet Hospital where vets carried out X-rays to discover the extent of his condition.

PDSA senior vet, Clare Hinchliffe, said: “We carried out tests which showed that Bill had spondylosis of the spine, a degenerative condition, as well as narrow space between his spinal discs.

“He also had severe arthritis in his hips and knees which was causing him constant pain. Because Bill’s condition was so severe, we had to consider putting him to sleep. But we decided, with Doreen’s approval, to try a different treatment.”

Bill was already receiving an anti-inflammatory drug, together with a joint supplement but PDSA vets decided to try adding in another medication, that combats pain in a different way, as a last resort.

Clare added: “We don’t tend to use this combination of drugs as a standard long-term treatment for arthritis in dogs but in Bill’s case it was the only option.”

Thankfully the new regime of drugs began to take effect and there was a significant improvement in Bill’s pain levels and mobility.

Doreen said: “PDSA have been wonderful and, thanks to the new treatment, Bill is so much better than he was.

“He couldn’t get up at all before but now he can walk around and even climb up and down the stairs. Bill is such a happy dog, he loves everyone and he loves life.”

PDSA is raising awareness of conditions such as arthritis, thanks to funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

PDSA vet Rebecca Ashman says pet owners can also play a vital part in alleviating the discomfort caused by arthritis: “We see many cases of arthritis where the pet can be helped not only through veterinary care, but also through weight reduction and appropriate levels of exercise.

“Recognising symptoms and taking early action can help alleviate pain and slow the progression of the condition.”

Michael Heseltine has made a shocking admission during an interview with Tatler Magazine, according to an extract published today.

Fresh on the back of his admission that he’s killed as many as 400 Grey Squirrels on his property, Michael Heseltine, who is a former UK Home Secretary and deputy Prime Minister gave an interview in which he makes the shocking admission that he killed his mother’s pet dog by choking it to death with his own collar.

German Shepherd Dog: File Photo

‘I went to stroke him (his mother’s German Shepherd Dog, Kim) and he started biting me,’ Heseltine tells the magazine.

‘If you have a dog that turns, you just cannot risk it. So I took Kim’s collar – a short of choker chain – and pulled it tight.

‘Suddenly he went limp. I was devoted to Kim, but he’d obviously had some sort of mental breakdown.’

The RSPCA are said to be considering their response to Heseltine’s shocking admission.

It is not against the law to euthanise your own dog in the UK. However, it is an offence to cause an animal unnecessary suffering and people have been prosecuted for not seeking the professional services of a vet when taking their own dog’s life in a way that was deemed to have caused suffering.

Two puppy farmers have been convicted of a string of animal welfare offences after RSPCA inspectors and police found a wheelbarrow of dead and dying dogs at their farm in Bradford.

As the charity’s officers, alongside police, executed a warrant at the address in Tyersal Lane in September 2015, the first thing they came across was a wheelbarrow full of dead puppies. As they filmed the harrowing scene for evidence it suddenly became clear that one of the collie pups – a female, buried beneath the bodies of her siblings – was still alive.

This week, one man pleaded guilty and one woman has been convicted of causing unnecessary suffering to the seven puppies – six of which were already dead and the seventh of which later died after being rushed to the vets – as well as a number of other offences [full details in notes].

Farm manager John Wilcock (DoB: 09/07/80) of Sticker Lane, Bradford, admitted five offences on the first day of the trial while Bernadette Nunney (DoB: 04/11/91), of Tyersal Lane, Bradford, pleaded not guilty to six offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. She was found guilty today (Thursday 20 October).

Both faced four claims that they caused unnecessary suffering to a total of 10 dogs, and also denied two offences of failing to meet the needs of 30 dogs. Wilcock pleaded guilty to five of the six offences on Monday (17 October), while Nunney was convicted on all counts following a four-day trial at Leeds Magistrates’ Court.

RSPCA inspector Emma Ellis, who led the investigation, said: “We had lots of calls from puppy buyers who had bought dogs which had fallen very ill.

“After taking statements from the witnesses and gathering intelligence we joined the police to execute a warrant on the premises, owned by Julie Nunney, on 24 September 2015.

“We found dozens of dogs at the address, being kept in stables and make-shift kennels. But the one memory from that day – and one I’ll never be able to forget – was finding the collie puppies in the wheelbarrow.

“It was so sad to see their lifeless bodies bundled into the wheelbarrow but then, when we looked closer and spotted one of the little pups barely breathing buried underneath the dead bodies of her brothers and sisters, we leapt into action and rushed her to the vets. Unfortunately, like her littermates, it was too late for her and she later died.”

Inspectors found 43 dogs – including collies, spaniels, bichon frises, Labradors, beagles, Chihuahuas, and some terrier-cross types – many of which had no water or bedding.

Post mortems later revealed that the collie puppies had died from parvovirus – a highly contagious, viral disease causing life-threatening illness which attacks the dog’s intestines, white blood cells and damages the heart muscle.

Nunney and Wilcock will return to Leeds Magistrates’ Court on 18 November for sentencing.

Read any article about preventing dog bites and you’ll hear trainers talk about the most common dog body language signals that often come as a pre-warning to full bite. Children, commonly, are unaware of those warning signs, things such as licking of lips, yawning and facial signals that dogs use as a way to discourage behaviour from people that it doesn’t like. This man thought it would be a good idea to encourage his own dog to bite him as a way to display some of those signals.

Do you think this was a useful training aid that could pass on information to dog owners to avoid being bitten by a dog?

Add your views in the comments section below.

Academic research has revealed that dog owners are happier, healthier and likely to live longer. Whilst it has been established for some time that pet ownership makes people happier, it has now been shown that the benefits of owning a dog outstrip those of cat or any other animal.

A psychologist from Queen’s University, Belfast, said dog owners tended to have lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

Writing in the British Journal of Health Psychology, she says that regular ‘walkies’ may partly explain the difference.

Dr Deborah Wells reviewed dozens of earlier research papers which looked at the health benefits of pet ownership.

In some cases, the research even ventured as far to suggest the social support offered by an animal is greater than the support than another human could offer.

She confirmed that pet owners tended in general to be healthier than the average member of the population.

As well as lower blood and cholesterol levels, dog-owners suffered fewer minor ailments and serious medical problems than owners of other pets such as cats.

It has been believed for some time that dogs can assist people in recovery from serious illnesses such as heart attacks, and act as ‘early warning’ to detect an approaching epileptic seizure. This research adds further strength to the claim.

Dogs as Stress Relief

Dr Wells was not totally sure why, exactly, dogs are so beneficial to our health:

“It is possible that dogs can directly promote our well-being by buffering us from stress, one of the major risk factors associated with ill-health.

“The ownership of a dog can also lead to increases in physical activity and facilitate the development of social contacts, which may enhance both physiological and psychological human health in a more indirect manner.”

It’s good to see a sportsperson who clearly loves their job and is able to get the most from their natural talent. We think we’ve found a star here. His name is Halo, he’s amazing at pool and, oh, he’s a dog. Just look at him go.