Bionic spine gives Chris Evans's dog a pain-free future


When vets told Chris Evans his beloved dog should be 'written off'
after losing the feeling in its hind legs, the radio DJ refused to give
up hope.
Enzo the German Shepherd had two herniated discs in
his spine, leaving him paralysed and in pain. His 42-year-old
owner made sure he received the latest treatment - and now Enzo has a
bionic spine.




New life: Chris Evans's dog Enzo has regained
the use of its back legs again
In a pioneering operation costing £5,000, the nine-year-old dog
had two bolts inserted in the middle of his spine to fuse two vertebrae. The SpondyloFitz bolts - named after inventor Noel Fitzpatrick, the
vet who performed the surgery on Enzo last month - have cured his pain
and will stay in permanently. The dog is having extensive
physiotherapy and hydrotherapy in the hope that he can one day learn to
walk again. Evans told Dogs Today magazine: 'It was make or
break. The procedure was potentially a highly dangerous one and one that
to Noel's knowledge had never been carried out before.
'We're
giving this our very best shot. Enzo's worth it. So long as he keeps
making progress we'll keep trying.
'Without this latest
operation we had no hope, now we have a glimmer. But we have to be
realistic. It's his last chance.'



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Enzo is now resident
at the Fitzpatrick-Referrals animal hospital in Referrals animal
hospital in Surrey.Before his operation he was completely
paralysed but now he can use his back legs in the pool - although he
is yet to support himself on land.
He is having four
physiotherapy and hydrotherapy sessions a day to build up the muscles in
his hind legs. Mr Fitzpatrick said: 'Chris's dog is a very difficult
case and we may not be successful. He has a particularly bad form of
spinal disease. 'At the moment we don't know if Enzo will ever
walk again. 'He has a condition whereby several discs in his back
dried out and over a period of time squashed his spinal cord. 'The
nerves are inside the spinal cord and the bolts relieve the pressure on
it. They fuse the vertebrae together. It is pain-free and the spinal
cord can start to conduct again. 'The bolt pushes the vertebrae
apart and relieves the sciatic nerve. The thing that will decide whether
Enzo will walk again is whether the damage to the cord is permanent.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1026608/Bionic-spine-gives-Chris-Evanss-dog-pain-free-future.html#ixzz0sioQNsDH




I am not keen on him but he's not a bad old stick

that is brilliant , wonder if you could claim for op on insurance

Wow. I hope Enzo will walk again

ive read about this before, its brilliant

I thought this was last year or even longer

Great though ennit