A much-loved family dog has been cured of a life-threatening disease of the immune system by a team of specialist vets.

Mylo, a year-old Dachshund, became weak, lethargic and lacking in appetite over several days, to the point where he did not want to get up or go out for a walk.

Owners James and George, who live in Ipswich, quickly took Mylo to their local vet, where they were told Mylo was critically ill and the prognosis was poor.

It was recommended that Mylo be taken to Lumbry Park animal hospital in Alton so its team of specialist internal medicine vets could see if they could identify the problem and treat his condition effectively.

Lumbry Park’s team immediately conducted several blood tests and imaging of Mylo’s chest and abdomen.

They established he was suffering from a very aggressive form of immune-mediated haemolytic anaemia. Red blood cells in Mylo’s body were being rapidly destroyed by his overactive immune system, and this was also happening very quickly within his blood vessels - reflecting a more aggressive form of the autoimmune disease.

Mylo’s condition required urgent action. To save him, the vets started a programme of intensive treatments to control then stop his immune system breaking down the red blood cells.

Mylo received a carefully balanced course of new medical treatments to counteract his overactive immune system, and had six blood transfusions to stabilise his body until the medication started to work well.

In addition the vets battled to rectify severe complications associated with his condition, including extreme jaundice, pneumonia and blood clots elsewhere in his body.

It took the team 16 days to get Mylo stable. Only then was it safe for him to be discharged home.

A couple of weeks later Mylo became his bright and active self again. More than a year on, his owners James and George say no-one would know how poorly he had been.

Pieter Defauw, head of internal medicine at Lumbry Park, said: “When Mylo came to us we were very concerned. While immune-mediated anaemia is relatively common, Mylo was very severely affected. Without intense treatment he would not have survived.

“Even despite being so critically ill, Mylo has always shown a great personality during his stay with us in the hospital. Everyone loved taking care of him. We’ve regularly kept in touch with Mylo’s owners to monitor his condition - and are so happy to see him now enjoying life to the fullest.”

James and George said: “To compare where we are now to where we were a year ago is unrecognisable. Thankfully Mylo is now very much himself - a fun, cheeky chap living life to the max, very much spoilt, and who gets away with murder.

“On this anniversary, we just wanted to reach out and say thank you again to Pieter and the Lumbry Park team for helping keep Mylo in everyone's lives.”

Founded in 2015, Lumbry Park is a large and advanced veterinary specialist referral centre. For information visit www.lumbrypark.co.uk