Max was bred by Mr & Mrs Fowler of Shottonpride Rottweilers in Bristol. He was bought as a friend and companion for Tara ( Duntarvie Doeras) who lived with our dear friends Mark and Ivana at their family home. During the summer Max and Tara would come and spend their holidays with us at Duntarvie and when they were here, we had the pleasure of taking Max to some dog shows.

Max has and outstanding temperament, he is very friendly and outgoing, and has never had a cross word for anything. He was really successful in the ring, both at open and championship shows. Winning best puppy in breed at Border Union CH Show, his 1^st time in the ring. He also won many top awards, gaining his ShCm and winning the Reserve Challenge Certificate at Crufts 2005 from an amazing entry of quality dogs. Max has sired some wonderful puppies both in looks and temperament and continues to be a delight to live with.

In July 2006, something happened that not only changed his life, but has had a great impact on ours. It was a Wednesday, much like any other day, same routine, walking, feeding and looking after the dogs as usual. The weather was very, very warm, and it had been for several days, we had the air conditioning on in all of the kennels to keep the dogs cool and comfortable and all seemed to be as normal. The dogs were fed and let out to play for a short time as usual around 4pm; they were then returned to the kennel runs to relax while we had our evening meal. When we finished our meal, Jim and I went back outside to spend some time with the dogs before putting them to bed.

When we went to let Max out to play, he was not able to stand up; even after coaxing he could barely crawl towards us. My first thoughts was heat stroke, and immediately took steps to reduce his temperature before telephoning our vet to have Max treated. I soon realised that there was something much more than heatstroke wrong with Max. Our emergency visit to the vets that evening was a frightening ordeal for both humans and dog as it was not clear what had happened to Max, but it was very obvious that he was totally paralysed in both front legs.

Not much could be done that evening, and Max was given a steroid injection and returned home with us. What a traumatic night for everyone concerned, and no sleep for anyone in our house that night.

Early next morning Max was again taken to our vets to be checked and assessed for treatment. The initial diagnosis was a suspected ruptured disc in the spine, the prognosis a bit sketchy but most certainly surgery would be required to give Max a chance of regaining the use of his legs. Our vet set about phoning the specialists in this field. The first, unable to see him for several days, this was not an option. The second choice, Dick Vet in Edinburgh, not able to see him until the next day, another 24 hours without treatment, and this was also unacceptable. The vet’s next option was to call the small animal vet hospital attached to Glasgow University, they confirmed they could see Max that morning and I had to take him for his appointment at 11am.

On arrival at the vet hospital, Max was taken into a treatment room for assessment before our own vet’s diagnosis was confirmed; at this point the diagnosis was still expected to be an orthopaedic problem. After about an hour of tests etc. Max was checked by a specialist who suspected another problem, a neurological problem, but we needed to have an MRI scan and a Myelogram, some x-rays etc to confirm the diagnosis either way, so Max was admitted for further tests and treatment. Not long now before we would hopefully know what had happened to our lovely Max. Friday morning came and went; it was agony waiting for the telephone call from the vet hospital, a couple of hours into the afternoon and at last, the telephone call we had been anxiously waiting for.

I felt mixed emotions as I spoke to the specialist treating Max, what had happened in the 2 hours between walks on Wednesday evening?, what will be the prognosis for our wonderful boy? Would he survive? Would he walk again? Would we be making the horrendous decision to have our precious boy put to sleep to relieve his pain? All these questions were driving me crazy.

There is no treatment for this condition, only rest until the swelling on the spinal cord reduces, the complications, Max could not move to allow him to go to the toilet, and as a result he had to have a catheter inserted to remove urine from his bladder. He could not move to allow him to eat or drink and had to be hand fed by the nursing staff, and offered water on a regular basis. He could not get up to turn around and had to be turned every couple of hours to prevent bed sores and stiffness. He was continuously prodded, pricked and poked to establish if any reflexes were returning, all this Max endured with patience and never once did he even look like he may snap or even growl at the nursing staff. Max had a slight set back on the Saturday morning, he started vomiting, became very depressed and refused to eat any food given to him. I went to visit on Saturday afternoon and spent some hours sitting with Max, trying to coax him to eat some of the lovely chicken I had cooked and taken for him, he ate some of it, but I think he only did this to please me. When I left Max I was feeling very sad, and a bit uncertain as to what lay ahead. By Sunday he was still not eating and still vomiting, I visited again on Sunday afternoon, but Max barely acknowledged my presence and I was getting very worried about him. That night Jim and I discussed what future Max may have, and decided that if no improvement had been made in 2 weeks we would release him from the torment he was suffering and have him put to sleep.

Jim visited by himself on Monday, as I was very upset from the visits at the weekend. Whilst he was there, he spoke to the consultant treating Max. He confirmed that Max had a urinary infection caused by the catheter and had been put on antibiotics and some anti sickness medication, they hoped this would stop the vomiting and help Max to eat again. The next few hours would be critical for our sweet boy.

On Tuesday I called the nursing staff to check on my lovely boys progress, it appeared that he had improved slightly, they were hopeful that the next 24 hours would see even further improvement, I was still unsure about the future, but tried very hard to be bright and happy when we visited Max that afternoon. Wednesday came, 1 week after this tragedy had happened, I called the nursing staff as usual, and was told the consultant treating Max would call me back, I was worried sick, what was wrong now? I waited impatiently for the call to come. It felt like an eternity of a wait, but at last the call came, Max had improved, and to quote the comments from the nursing staff "he was eating like a horse". I felt such relief, maybe, just maybe, things were improving. They had decided to remove the catheter and try to get Max up on his legs using a harness, once they achieved this, Max would be able to go outside to relieve himself, and hopefully he would be less depressed. Things started to move forward again, although Max could not walk, he was able to support some of his weight by himself, an indication that feeling was returning to his front legs. Good news indeed.

Over the next 24 hours Max continued to improve, he could go out to the toilet, aided by his harness and 2 lovely assistants, he looked like a Rottweiler in a shopping bag, he was eating again, and seemed to be a lot brighter in himself. It was decided that, if we felt we were able too, we could take Max home the following day (Friday). He would need a lot of care and nursing, they said his improvement had been fantastic, but only time would tell if he would continue to improve or not. We discussed his care with the nursing staff, and decided to take Max home that day, it was not going to be easy, but he would be given every opportunity available to help him recover.

Once Max came home we had to decide where he would sleep etc. As we had several stairs from our garden to the house it was not practical to bring him in with us. We have a special puppy kennel and small enclosed run which has full view of the garden and drive; we decided this is where Max would go. We set about making it ready for him; he needed special bedding to ensure he was not going to get bedsores, and that he would not be lying on any hard surfaces as he would not be able to feel if his legs were getting sore. He could now move a little by himself, so we did not need to turn him or move him about. He could also move by himself to eat and drink, although he still needed support from the harness to walk the few steps to the garden, but he was so pleased to be home.

We gave Max the weekend to settle back into familiar surroundings but come Monday we would embark on a programme of physiotherapy and hydrotherapy designed to encourage maximum recovery without the risk of further injury. Max was introduced to the pool which we had installed for our dogs several months ago. He enjoyed swimming so that made things a little easier. He was also given massage therapy to encourage maximum blood supply to the legs, and to reduce the possibility of stiff and sore muscles. He had also stared to walk unaided, although he was a bit shaky and his coordination was not great. Everything appeared to be going in the right direction, but only time would tell how much he will recover.

It has now been 10 weeks since Max collapsed, his condition continues to improve, he now goes for short walks on his lead, can run about the garden, plays with his ball and enjoys his frequent sessions in the pool. Only time will tell if his improvement continues, his coordination is still slightly off, and he has a slight limp on his left leg, but he is bright and happy, enjoying life to the full, and he is now able to share his kennel with his friend Von, and is enjoying having doggy company again. We are very hopeful he can make a full recovery, and the hospital has said this could take up to 6 months, but they also believe he will recover completely. Our own vets are very please with Max, and impressed with his outstanding temperament and willingness to please. During all this, he has been a delight to care for, a testimony to the strength, courage and resilience of the Rottweiler, and the epitome of all that is good in our wonderful breed. I hope his story may be of help to others, that it may give hope where there seems to be none, and strength to go forward when hope is limited.