Grady had a tough start to life but is looking forward to a bright future thanks to his new loving owners and Davies Veterinary Specialists.
Romanian Rescue Dog Thrown Out With Rubbish Thriving In New Home
7 months ago 
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A Romanian rescue dog born with much of the right side of his brain missing, together with eye and hip issues, is now enjoying a new life thanks to his loving owners and a Hertfordshire animal hospital.
One-year-old Grady, who has been cared for at Linnaeus-owned Davies Veterinary Specialists near Hitchin, has overcome his severe medical conditions to the extent he is running freely with the other dogs he lives with.
Grady’s new owners Ally Morris and partner Derek Penn from Berkshire had intended to foster Grady when he arrived from Romania until he found a new home, however, fell in love with the crossbreed and decided to keep him.
Ally said: “Grady was thrown out in a bin bag with the rubbish in Romania, but somehow managed to escape, despite his problems.
“After his scans at Davies, we discovered Grady had been born with only half of his brain and no blood supply to his right hip, causing the hip joint to be very painful and not functional.
“Of course, we were really shocked to find out Grady had only half of his brain. This was not something we had even considered a possibility, so I think it took everyone involved by surprise but, thanks to Davies, we had some answers to his unusual behavior, and were astounded at how this beautiful young boy had survived.”
Expert teams at Davies, including neurology and orthopaedic departments, were called into action to help Grady, who was named after animal lover Paul O’Grady, who sadly passed away the day Grady arrived from Romania, on his road to recovery.
His multidisciplinary treatment has included removing the ball of the hip ball-and-socket joint followed by physiotherapy to cure his lameness, while his neurological condition is being managed with medication.
Ally added: “Grady is doing great, he is pain free now, his wound has healed beautifully and he is walking so much better and not falling over. He continues with physiotherapy at home but he can run freely with our other dogs and enjoy being the unique little dog he is.”
Johnny Plessas, head of neurology and neurosurgery at Davies, said: “Grady, who has been a wonderful patient, came to Davies with a history of seizures and was diagnosed with right hydranencephaly, a congenital anomaly which leads to lack of development of a large part of the brain. Medication will keep the frequency of seizures to a low level and he currently has good control.”
Edward Bietzk, resident in small animal surgery at Davies who operated on Grady’s hip, added: “Grady suffered from avascular necrosis of the femoral head, where the blood supply to the area has been damaged. This leads to a painful, abnormal hip joint.
“At surgery, the diseased femoral head was removed and post-operative radiographs confirmed appropriate bone removal with a good range of motion. It’s fantastic to hear Grady is now running freely.”
For more general information about Davies and the wide range of specialist-led services it offers, visit https://vetspecialists.co.uk/ or search for it on Facebook or LinkedIn.
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