A dog owner has been left devastated after his beloved pet was left paralysed after slipping on faeces.
Shaun Odinson Hudson was out walking his seven-year-old dog, Winter, on Saturday last weekend when it happened.
The 35-year-old animation student threw a ball for the Labrador to chase and looked down to his phone to change song, but when he looked up his dog was lying on its back, MyLondon reports.
He said: “I took my headphones out and heard this awful wailing sound, so sprinted over to help her.”
It took Shaun a few minutes that “felt like forever” to get his dog back on her feet, but her legs were not working.
Shaun realised that Winter had slipped on dog poo, her legs were covered and there was a skidmark where she had fallen.
He added: “It was devastating. I can’t put into words how much it hurt seeing her like that. She’s like a child to me.
“I was wailing, crying profusely, so much so that a neighbour rushed out to see if I was okay. I thought she was going to die.”
However, not having a car, Shaun could not get Winter to somewhere she could receive help.
He called a friend who was able to help him get Winter in a car and drive him 40 minutes to the Queen Mother hospital for small pets in North London.
An MRI scan revealed that a piece of a disk had broken and hit her spinal column at high speed, severing contact from the waist down.
Winter will not have to be put down, but will require intense physio therapy and may not be able to spend Christmas with Shaun and his partner.
Shaun said: “It’s a very severe injury, she’ll never have the same life again.
“It’s been the equivalent of grieving, this is the longest we’ve not had her here and just waiting every day to find out how she is.
“The whole thing has been heartbreaking and caused a lot of anxiety. My chest constantly feels tight. I’m sure anyone who has a dog can understand.”
To make matters worse, Shaun is expecting to be hit with a vet bill of up to £7,500.
“Financially, this is the worst possible time for this to happen just before Christmas. We don’t know what we’re going to do,” Shaun said.
His partner works in retails and Shaun has a student budget so has set up a GoFundMe to help raise the necessary funds. He said any donations would be a “huge help.”
