Britney, Skyla & Bella

11-month-old prima donna pug, Britney – named after Britney Spears for her sassiness - is brought to Fitzpatricks by her surrogate parent and grandmother, Alison, displaying signs of what may be neurological damage. On examination, it transpires that Britney has a genetic bone malformation which is squashing her spinal cord. Left untreated, this could eventually result in paralysis, and so Alison is left with the difficult task of explaining the problem to the family and deciding whether or not to proceed with risky and complex surgery.

Andy and mum Lynne arrive with their very chatty 18-month-old Australian Shepherd dog, Skyla. They’ve noticed that she’s not quite herself but despite numerous tests in the past, they are none the wiser about what might be the trouble. Noel suspects that nerve compression in the lower back may be the source, in which case Skyla’s options could be either medication, steroid injections or surgery, but first he has to solve the mystery and put his detective skills to the test. “We’re about to see a bit of a diagnostic conundrum,” says Noel, “nothing on x-ray pictures, nothing on clinical examination and nothing on MRI scan. Welcome to my world.”

There’s an emergency admission at Fitzpatrick Referrals when nine-month-old Jack Russell puppy Bella is rushed in suffering from a crushed pelvis after a freak accident when she fell from a carrier on dad Peter’s bike. The serious fracture can’t be left without surgery but Bella will need time to stabilise before any intervention is attempted – and guilt-ridden Peter is still in shock. “That’s my abiding memory at the moment, a dog in pain, caused by me running her over,” he says. “It was awful. I just looked down and there she was, going straight over the wheel. I’ve been reliving it over and over again.”