'Very lucky' Northumberland cocker spaniel makes miraculous recovery after 30ft fall from cliff
by Owen Younger · ChronicleLiveA cocker spaniel has made a miraculous recovery after falling 30ft from a cliff. Vets and the HM Coastguard have joined forces to urge owners to keep their dogs on leads near clifftops.
Nala, a much-loved family pet, suffered a fractured pelvis, a broken rib, a damaged lung, severe internal and external bruising and lacerations to her legs in the horrific fall. This happened when she spotted a bird and ran after it at Magdalene Fields Golf Club in Berwick.
She tumbled over the cliff edge, landing on the rocks below, and had to be lifted to safety in a joint operation by two teams from the Berwick and Eyemouth HM Coastguard. Nala was then taken to Galedin Vets, part of veterinary group, VetPartners.
Nala, who is owned by Berwick resident Gillian Simpson, spent a week at Galedin Vets, receiving constant care, and she then had weekly check-ups over the following six weeks until she made a full recovery. This lucky escape has prompted vets and the HM Coastguard to warn dog walkers to keep their pets on a lead when walking near cliffs.
Vet Kirsty Morrison said: "When Nala first arrived at the practice she needed to be stabilised, treated for shock, and given pain relief until we worked out what we needed to investigate, to ensure there were no life-threatening injuries.
"Our main concern was that she may have suffered a head trauma, and you would expect a lot of bruising from a small dog suffering such a big fall, so we were worried about her condition deteriorating.
"She needed a lot of pain relief as well as a feeding tube as she wasn’t eating. Once she started eating, she started to improve. Her treatment and recovery involved a huge team effort as she needed a lot of care both while she was in the hospital and after release. There was a big focus on nursing care with feeding, massage and rehabilitation.
"She has been a very lucky dog to have recovered so well after a fall like that and our message to dog walkers is to keep their pets on a lead near cliffs or big drops."
Jon Dixon, a HM Coastguard volunteer who helped rescue Nala by abseiling down the cliff, added: “We are relieved she is ok, but prevention is better than intervention so our message to dog owners is to keep your dog on a lead near cliffs to stop them running off.
"If your pet has an accident, stay with them as Nala’s walker did, so we could easily find them."
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