Lulu is worth every penny

Brendan Montague
Wednesday January 30, 2002
The Stockport Express

BARKING mad mum-of-two Helen MeMurrough said this week her dog was worth every penny of the £10,000 she has spent on leg operations.

Labrador Lulu was born with a defect which meant her hip joints and knee muscles were not formed properly and has had to undergo four operations.

That has cost Helen's insurance company, Petplan, £9,840.32 - prompting them to proclaim the chocolate lab the most expensive patient on their books.

Petplan spokesperson Josie Wood said: "It's an amazing amount of money - and the dog's only three."

Lulu has had her hips pinned by Langdale veterinary hospital in Heaton Moor and visited pioneering orthopaedic surgeon Chris May at Willows in Birmingham after knee trouble.

“You can't put a dog's leg in plaster so she had eight metal rods going along her leg and joined to a metal bar which is made in Sheffield to measure the individual dog," said Mrs McMurrough, 44, from South Parade in Bramhall.

"She was not allowed to jump up on anything so we had all the furniture in our house turned upside down for three months. We lived on duvets, ate sitting on duvets and watched television from duvets.

"But we now have a dog who has a wonderful quality of life and she is the star in my sky. She is very loving and is grateful for every day she's had since."

Pain

She added: "Before the operation she was in pain and we got to the point when we thought we'd have to get her putdown."

And it's not the first time pet-lover Mrs MeMurrough has given her all for an animal.

Stricken cat Sybil had to have her bladder emptied by hand twice a day for 12-and-a-half years after a car accident left her with nerve damage.

"It was kind of like playing the bag pipes," Mrs McMurrough said. "I held her under my arm and gave her a squeeze. In the morning and at night I brushed my teeth and emptied the cat."

Mrs McMurrough, a butcher's daughter, has been obsessed with animals ever since her first cat Timmy died when she was 16.

"My father always said if you invite an animal into your home you should always treat them like a member of the family," she explained.

Dentist husband Stuart refused to have a dog in the house until much-loved sister Hilary bought Helen a new dog as a dying wish.

Mrs McMurrough said: "She knew her brother would not be able to say no. Honey is a reminder of her. I will always thank her and the family is very touched by what she did."