The owner of a dog who collapsed and lost the use of her legs has spent almost £10,000 to get her back on her feet.

Diesel, a seven-year-old Doberman from Kemsley, was diagnosed with an intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) at the base of her neck after suddenly losing her mobility in March.

Her owners took her to Wellpets vets in Sittingbourne to find a solution but ended up having to travel to specialists in Dorset and Essex to help her - despite the condition being one of the most common spinal problems in canines.

The pooch has since had surgery to fix the problem – a procedure that cost the family thousands of pounds.

Diesel has lived with her family since she was a puppy.

Owner Jack Fullerton, says his beloved pet has already begun showing signs of improvement following the operation.

But it won't be until later this year that he and his family will get a more realistic picture of her mobility.

He said: "About a week prior to us taking her to the vets, she became very mopey and that was the first step in us taking her there.

"When she arrived, she collapsed and couldn't put any weight on her legs, so that eventually led to her being referred to a specialist in Poole and then a neurologist in Basildon.

"We got her in for an operation to clear the blockage, which they said was a lot of organic matter.

"That operation took a couple of hours and has been viewed as a success so far - they predicted she has a 70-80% chance of fully regaining her mobility in five months.

"Until then, she has to be caged for the next month to heal and after that it is all about rehabilitation and therapy to get her walking again."

Also referred to as a slipped disc, IVDD is one of the most common spinal diseases in dogs, and is also present in some cats.

Typical symptoms include wobbliness, back pain and even possible paralysis.

However, the condition is difficult to treat locally and quickly for many pet owners as vet nurse Shauna Walsh, from the The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) charity, explains.

“Intervertebral discs are little cushions that sit in-between each of your dog’s vertebra, and they absorb shock and provide support as your dog moves around," she explained.

"The internal part of the disc moves out of place and presses on the nerves in the spine, causing pain and nerve problems, or even paralysis.

“It can be caused by an injury or accident, but in dogs is more commonly part of (IVDD), where the discs gradually lose their sponginess, and become hard and fragile, leaving them at risk of slipping out of place."

She added: “Your vet might suspect disc disease when they examine your dog, but further tests are needed to confirm their diagnosis.

"An MRI scan is the best way to get a diagnosis as it shows the spine, nerves, bones, and discs in detail – but these are often only available at specialist veterinary hospitals.

"X-rays can show some, but not all, of the changes caused by disc disease, as the nerves and spinal cord can’t be seen on an x-ray."

Although Mr Fullerton says the treatment Diesel has received has been "absolutely amazing," her diagnosis has been an expensive procedure.

He added: "The specialist in Poole was just under £500, the neurologist and all the scans were just about £4,000 with a further £5,500 for the surgery itself - that's not including all the rehab work to come in the future too, so we have been quoted more than £9,500 for everything so far.

"But the most important thing is that Diesel has shown some good signs of recovery, and she has already tried to play with some of our other dogs despite not being able to do much other than roll around a little bit."

Jack has set up a GoFundMe page online in order to help with the cost of Diesel's treatment. For more information click here.

So far £1,110 has been raised.