Watch miracle dog Tommy learn to walk again after hi-tech treatment

Vets didn’t hold out much hope for the four-year-old pooch, Tommy, but his devoted family were determined not to give up on him.

Friendly little Tommy is the constant companion of Maureen Richardson, 66, and her daughter, Tracey Hilder, managed to nurse him back to health with the help of a light therapy machine and physiotherapy.

Tracey, 46, who lives in the town’s Kemp Road, said she wasn’t prepared to have Tommy put to sleep, because he is such a lovely, happy dog and means the world to her widowed mum.

She said: “My mam phoned me up in floods of tears one morning saying Tommy had lost the use of this back legs. He was totally paralysed at the back and couldn’t walk at all.

“Vets didn’t hold out much hope for him ever getting the feeling back.

“But, Tommy certainly got his miracle. Within four days of using the light therapy equipment he was getting back on his feet and he is just getting stronger and stronger all the time.

Tommy with his family Tracey Hilder and her children Ella, seven, and five-year-old Evhan.

“People couldn’t believe it when they saw him and he is now running around all over.”

Tracey, who is mum to Jayde, 21, Jordon, 19, Jazmyn, 17, Ella, seven and five-year-old, Evhan, said after reading about light therapy, which works by using red and infrared light at specific wavelengths to rejuvenate damaged cells, she decided to give it a go.

It has worked so well for the Peterlee pooch, that Tracey is now fund-raising to provide the £250 Photzio Light Therapy machines to rescue kennels in the region.

She has raised enough to buy one, which she has given to Stray Aid in Coxhoe, and dog charity, Murphy’s Army, has provided the money to buy a second, which has been donated to Helping Pets North East.

Tracey Hilder and her children hand over the light therapy machine to the volunteers at Stray Aid dog kennels.

Tracey said: “The lights can be used to help lots of different conditions and hopefully will help get abandoned animals back to full health so they can be adopted.”

Tracey, who is herself a widow, said she wants to thank Murphy’s Army for their donation as well as Clifton Lodge Vets for not giving up on Tommy and K9 World where the beloved pooch does his hydrotherapy.

She said: “Without great people supporting Tommy’s recovery he wouldn’t be here today.”

Tommy, or Mr Tom as he is affectionately known, even has his own Facebook page and if anyone wants to follow him they can visit www.facebook.com/helptommydog.