‘Miracle dog’ survives 30ft plunge into rocky riverbed

0 Chino with owner Elizabeth Brydon and vet Rebecca Woolfson . Inset, the bridge in Linn Park A “miracle dog” has survived a 30ft plunge into a rocky riverbed after leaping off a bridge in Glasgow.

Four-year-old Chino the labrador was walking in the city’s Linn Park with owner Elizabeth Brydon when he suddenly jumped over the crossing’s wall.

The animal was taken to the vets in a critical condition, having suffered a collapsed lung and severe bruising.

Ms Brydon said: “It all seemed to happen in slow motion. I remember seeing him in mid-air, feeling utterly helpless.

MILNGAVIE

“I saw him motionless at the bottom of the bridge and I thought he was dead. There was very little water in the river, so he fell straight onto the rocks below. When I didn’t see him moving, I thought we’d lost him.”

Ms Brydon rushed down to stricken Chino and, to her amazement, found him alive, though in a very bad way. She took him straight to veterinary charity the PDSA where he was given immediate painrelief.

X-ray images showed Chino had suffered serious chest injuries but had not broken any bones. He was given painkillers and stayed at the surgery overnight, where he was monitored closely. The animal was then able to return home the next day. Chino is making a remarkable recovery at home, and Elizabeth said she was “over the moon” to have her companion back where he should be.

She added: “We’re so grateful to have him home. My children have grown up and flown the nest, so he’s like my baby now. He’s been so well looked after by all the staff at PDSA throughout his recovery. He’s already back to his cheeky ways and has made an incredibly quick recovery. He’s my miracle dog.”

Vet Susan Hermit said: “Poor Chino was in a critical condition when he came in. We gave him pain killers, and X-rays revealed he had suffered serious chest injuries.

“His lung had collapsed as a result of the impact and he had severe bruising all over his body. Incredibly though, he hadn’t broken any bones. Chino had to stay with us throughout the night, and we monitored him to keep him pain-free.

“We were able to send him home the next day, so he could recover in comfort with his owner. He is a very lucky dog not to have died that day.”

PDSA has launched its #Saveastar, which asks for £5 donations to help carry out life-saving operations and provide care to suffering pets.