In September 2023 Wally slipped a disc in his spine and after originally consulting our local vet we went to SASH North Ryde for an MRI & to get Spinal surgery.
Dr Richard Looi was absolutely amazing explained all different parts of Wally’s injury, then he made sure to make me feel comfortable & confident in my treatment decisions without pressuring me into any particular option. Once surgery was confirmed he explained all the details of what he saw on the MRI and what it may mean for recovery, then kept me fully informed about the surgery time, how it went and how Wally was post-surgery. Then out of the blue I get a call from him a week later to check in on how Wally’s recovery is doing I found that especially considerate as I’m sure he has lots of patients.
After the surgery Wally moved into his recovery phase with the help of Dr Naomi Boyd and Sarah. Naomi kept things realistic reminding me always to be prepared for the worst which helped me to not put too much pressure on Wally to recover quickly and allowed us both to work through what was needed to get the work done. But she also is optimistic with Wally’s progress and is very helpful in making me understand what I should see as a positive improvement & what may just be reflexes that I shouldn’t get my hopes up over. I really appreciate this balanced approach and understanding that Naomi isn’t going to be overly optimistic or seeing things in rose coloured way helps when she does see positive progress as it means it’s real & a very positive sign of his recovery.
Sarah is our amazing hydro physio that we get to see 2 times a week in Tuggerah! She is such a champ, I can’t even say how much we love her! I know she deals with all this regularly but the way she supports Wally in his hydro cause his back legs still aren’t responding yet makes me happy. She also puts up with a very noisey pup sometimes and Wally says she gives the best cuddles and yummy treats so despite her torturing him in the water treadmill or by making him swim she loves him. It’s been such a pleasure going to hydro and being able to talk all this out with Sarah as well. Like I said I appreciate Naomi’s realistic view point but also love having that second person to talk to about the small things I see Wally do.
I chose SASH to do Wally’s surgery because dog friends had used them and had positive feedback but also because I’ve seen the brand around at dog events and seen how much the team loves what they do. I know Wally’s road to recovery still has a long way but I also know that the team at SASH will be there to support us with everything we need to get him back on his paws. Going through this surgery and recovery has been the hardest thing Wally & I have dealt with but having the team at SASH by our side with all the people we’ve dealt with across both North Ryde and Tuggerah has made the struggle less stressful as they’ve supported us so much.
Thanks to the hard work of Wally and Sarah in Hydro, there have been some small movements happening in Wally’s back legs, proving that with patience and hard work, his recovery is possible. He’s also got the help of his Walkin Pets Wheels, which help him get around and be more independent, which keeps his spirits up and will help boost his recovery.
