Dog owner spends £500 a month on massages and chiropractors for three-legged German Shepherd

A dog owner is spending up to £500 a month on massages and chiropractor appointments to give his three-legged pet a good life after vets said it should be put down.Alan Pritchard wanted to give his three-legged German shepherd a fighting chance after he was diagnosed with a fibre Cartledge embolism.

The 66-year-old from Pembroke Dock adopted Kane from German Shepherd Rescue Elite five years ago and has never looked back.However, almost two years ago when Kane was nine he went off of his back legs and Alan claims after a visit to the vets they were told to put Kane to sleep.

He said: "I found an FCE group on Facebook where people were recommending hydrotherapy and acupuncture, so we got in touch with a local vet who offered these services and we have been with them ever since."We only see one vet now because Kane was people reactive when we got him. He was tied up on a farm and wearing a prong collar. The farmer had died and his wife had gone into a hospice, so Kane was taken in to rescue.

"Oak Vets started him off with acupuncture and hydrotherapy on a treadmill but then he broke his dewclaw. He had two hydrotherapy sessions and it became ulcerated.

"We treated it for 11 months and it would just not heal and during that time he couldn't continue with his hydrotherapy. He had also started having canine massages. Abi worked very hard with him and we did physio at home with him."Oak Vets thought he had FCE because he had no feeling in his feet, so we had him referred to Langford Vets in Bristol where he was diagnosed and had to stay for a week."

Alan says after 11 months of the ulcer not healing it was recommended that Kane should have the leg amputated. Kane's amputation took place in September, last year, but it hasn't slowed him down."Straight after the amputation, he was trying to run around. He gets around quite well on three legs. He only goes out on his wheels occasionally because after five or ten minutes he starts to drag his back leg."I have to keep him on his lead when he is on his wheels in case he tips them up."We were also advised to take him to see a doggy chiropractor as the masseuse was finding it hard to work deep on him.

"So we got in touch with one and the results when she visits him are amazing. When she has realigned his vertebrae he's like a young dog again. We don't notice the gradual decline so we book him in every 10 weeks."Along with his chiropractor appointments, Kane has a canine massage every two weeks along with hydrotherapy pool and physio sessions with Running Free.

Alan says he and his wife Judith spend between £400-£500 per month to help give Kane a comfortable happy life but says he is worth every single penny.

"My state pension goes on him. We bought him the best wheels we could find. We don't keep tabs on what we have spent on him but it's probably five figures, but in 23 months we have spent a fortune.

"He's such a happy boy, he is just an incredible dog and is very strong-willed."