AN eight year old Chihuahua from Sale has made a miraculous recovery from having a spinal lesion which had made it impossible for him to walk properly.

Samson’s had a series of innovative laser treatments to help him get back on his feet again

Samson’s owner, Carly Newton, is a nurse at White Cross Vets in Sale first noticed something was wrong when he was just four years old.

Carly said: “The best way to describe Samson’s problem was that he seemed a bit wobbly in his back legs. Obviously as I’m a veterinary nurse myself, I knew there was something not right, and Samson underwent various tests.

“We discovered he had a spinal lesion, which in turn gave him nerve damage. As a result he was lifting his back legs up and wobbling when he walked. He was prescribed steroids, but continued to lose muscle in his legs and struggled to walk, often struggling to control his bladder and bowel in the house, which really upset him.

“As well as the steroids, I also took him for a series of hydrotherapy sessions to try and rebuild some of the muscle in his back legs.

“There was a little bit of improvement but nothing dramatic. Then a colleague suggested laser therapy, and explained she’d seen it work successfully in other dogs. She recommended specialist veterinary nurse Lianne O’Boyle from Northern Laser Therapy and arranged for her to come into White Cross Vets and treat Samson.

“Whilst having the treatment Samson wears goggles, that we’ve nicknamed doggles, to protect his eyes and he was so good about the whole thing. It was recommended that Samson have six treatments, but after just two sessions he was able to jump into the car! He also stopped having accidents.”

Lianne said: “Samson has responded really well to the laser treatment and is little super star. At Northern Laser Therapy we use the K-Laser, the most advanced Class IV Therapy Laser platform in the world, to treat a range of conditions from nerve damage to arthritis, and it can also help to accelerate the wound healing process and a whole host of other problems. The laser is great for any kind of inflammation and helps to enhance a body’s natural response by increasing blood supply to the problem area.

“During each painless treatment, laser energy is absorbed in water, increasing local circulation and drawing oxygen and nutrients to the damaged area. This creates an optimal healing environment that reduces inflammation, swelling, muscle spasms, stiffness and pain, and as the injured area returns to normal, function is restored and pain is relieved.

“Samson has had three treatments on his spine so far and it’s made a big difference to his daily life. Most of my cases all respond just as well and they also feel relaxed, warm and tingly throughout, as it helps to release endorphins too.”

Each musculoskeletal laser therapy treatment costs £30 and lasts up to eight minutes. Following the success of Samson’s treatment Leanne plans to run a ‘lunch and learn’ session at White Cross Vets in Sale so all the vets and nurses can find out more about the benefits of laser treatment.

Clinic director at White Cross Vets in Sale, Jack Johnson, said: “It’s been great to see little Samson get back on his feet and we are keen for Leanne to run regular sessions in our practice on Cross Street. The equipment Leanne uses if very specialised and expensive and she has also undergone very specific training, so it’s ideal to have someone like her, who is so experienced, coming into our practice to help local pets that can benefit from this type of treatment.”

Northern Laser Therapy also treats people as well as pets with its medical laser from clinics all over the North West. For further information about White Cross Vets visit www.whitecrossvets.co.uk or www.northernlasertherapy.com/medical-therapy