Ipswich woman’s greyhound Oscar back on track after emergency surgery at hospital in Six Mile Bottom, near Newmarket

A much-loved greyhound who lost his tail as the result of being hit by a train is getting back on track after emergency surgery at a veterinary hospital just outside Newmarket.

Eight-year-old Oscar was taken to Linnaeus-owned DWR Veterinary Specialists in Six Mile Bottom, Cambridgeshire, where vets had to amputate his tail and repair his horrific wound.

Oscar’s medical emergency started after he escaped from his owner’s garden when a gate had been opened overnight, possibly by a prowler, and the dog wandered on to a nearby railway cutting.

Oscar’s owner, Wendy Beazley, from Ipswich, said: “We tried to call Oscar for his morning walk and realised he was missing from our garden.

“Next we heard a terrible cry from Oscar when he was hit by a train but it wasn’t for another three to four hours that he was found.

“Now he’s had his wound repaired he’s back to normal, back to chasing squirrels and trying to get a head start to the treat cupboard.

“Oscar has been magnificent throughout this, bearing in mind he had been re-homed a few times with various issues before we got him,” said Wendy, who added that some people were concerned that by not having a tail Oscar would not be able to express himself.

“What rot. If you know your dog you can read them without the tail,” she said.

The vets talked us through the whole procedure step by step and constantly kept us informed. They even spoke about Oscar and treated him as if he was their owndog.”

Rachel Hattersley, head of theatre at DWR Veterinary Specialists, who performed Oscar’s surgery, said: “Oscar was in quite a bad state when admitted to us. He was stabilised and the wound managed as an open wound until healthy enough to close.

“We then used the skin from Oscar’s tail to close the hole and the operation went as planned. It’s fantastic to hear that Oscar is back to his old self and leading the charge for the treat cupboard.”

Oscar’s treatment also called upon the skills of DWR’s Ed Bellamy, together with its skilled anaesthesia team and dedicated veterinary nurses.