A COCKER Spaniel who suffered life-threatening injuries after plunging 30-feet over a cliff in Berwick-upon-Tweed has made an incredible recovery, thanks to the care of vets and coastguard.
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 which happened after she spotted a bird and ran after it while on a walk at Magdalene Fields Golf Club in Berwick.
She tumbled over the cliff edge, landing on rocks as the tide was out, and had to be lifted to safety in a dramatic joint rescue operation by two teams from the Berwick and Eyemouth HM Coastguard who took her to Galedin Vets in Rampart Business Park in Berwick, which is part of veterinary group, VetPartners.
Nala, who is owned by grandmother Gillian Simpson, pictured right with vet Kirsty Morrison and vet nurse Lauren Vallance, spent a week in hospital at Galedin Vets, receiving round-the-clock care, followed by weekly check-ups over the following six weeks until she made a full recovery.
Her lucky escape has now prompted a warning from vets and HM Coastguard for dog walkers to keep their pets on a lead when walking near cliffs after another dog was not so fortunate in another cliff fall the following week.
Nala returned to the practice this week where she was reunited with members of the Galedin team and volunteers from HM Coastguard, including Jon Dixon, who rescued her by abseiling down the cliff and placing her in a special bag before they were hoisted up by members of the Berwick and Eyemouth teams.
Vet Kirsty Morrison was among the team of six vets and six veterinary nurses taking care of eight-year-old Nala during her treatment and recuperation and admits the eight-year-old black Cocker Spaniel is lucky to be alive.
Kirsty 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.”
Mrs Simpson and her family have praised the Galedin Vets team and the volunteers from HM Coastguard.
Her daughter Emma said: “Nala saw a bird and ran after it, but when the bird went over the cliff, she didn’t realise there was a drop of 30-feet onto rocks.
“The Coastguard team were amazing as, within an hour of her falling, she was at Galedin Vets. She has had a long road back to recuperation and we thought in the first four or five days we might lose her. Every time we went in to see her, it was devastating for the family as she looked so poorly.
“The vets went the extra mile, and we can’t thank them enough. Vets, nurses and receptionists would go in and give her a cuddle which was so caring and kind.”
Following the incident, Galedin Vets nurse manager Clare Lackenby senior nurse Caroline White held a training evening for HM Coastguard volunteers on handling injured animals.
Jon Dixon was among the HM Coastguard volunteers who scrambled to Nala’s rescue following a 999 call from her owner’s sister who had taken her to the popular dog walking spot.
They have now joined forces with the veterinary practice to urge people to keep their dogs on leads near clifftops.
Jon, who carried Nala up to safety, said: “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.”
For media enquiries, please contact Amanda Little, VetPartners PR and Communications Director, at amanda.little@vetpartners.co.uk or 07970 198492