Last month, an adorable long-haired Chihuahua was brought into Mayhew by our Animal Welfare Officers, after she was hit by a car and left badly injured.

Eight-year-old Coco was clearly in a significant amount of pain and distress, and our vets immediately took her into our Community Vet Clinic to investigate her injuries.

Unfortunately, not every animal who comes into Mayhew can be saved – but every single one is treated with dignity and respect, no matter what the circumstances around their admittance are. We do not judge; we listen and we value people and animals, and we help as many as we can for as long as we can.

A radiograph quickly revealed that Coco had a broken pelvis,  so reconstructive surgery was scheduled. We put Coco on cage rest until her surgery in order to minimise further damage and to try and help alleviate her pain and discomfort. Whilst on cage rest, our vets also noticed that Coco did not pass any urine or faeces, and soon discovered that she had in fact been unable to pass any since the car accident occurred.

Coco’s inability to pass urine or faeces indicated that she had suffered severe nerve damage in addition to her broken pelvic bones. Unfortunately, nerve damage of any type is irreversible, and together with the prospect of and risks associated with major surgery, Coco’s prognosis was extremely poor.

Sadly, our vets made the difficult but necessary decision to put Coco to sleep, and to end her current and inevitable future suffering. They made sure she was warm and comfortable and felt safe until the very end, and our vets stayed with her for the duration of the procedure.

The call to end an animals’ life humanely is never an easy one to make. Our vets and Animal Welfare Officers respond quickly to every emergency that they can, and their expertise and compassion in dealing with difficult situations as humanely and empathetically as possible means that every animal and owner receives the best conceivable care.

Sadly, not all the animals that we see at Mayhew can have a happy ending, but we will never stop trying to help those in need.

If you are having trouble looking after your pet, or you suspect that something is wrong with an animal, please call our Animal Welfare Officers on 020 8962 8000 for free, non-judgemental advice and assistance.