A beloved dog who endured painful spinal surgery after losing the use of her back legs is back to her bouncy self.
Nurse Kim Haggerty, from Hemel Hempstead, credits the supplement with speeding up golden retriever Indi's recovery after a traumatic year of treatment.
The ten year old pet was diagnosed with painful osteoarthritis, and then in a horrific escalation of the condition completely lost her ability to walk.
Kim's vet told her that the only treatment for Indi was invasive spinal surgery, as the pup's disc had prolapsed and was dangerously attached to her spinal cord.
"We were told that her recovery would be very long, and to accept that she would always have some level of mobility problem.
"She started physio, hydrotherapy, and acupuncture which she still has, I was determined to get her back to enjoying life again", said Kim.
Set on giving Indi the best recovery possible, Kim, who lives with graphic designer husband David, set about researching alternative supplements, which would complement the dog's therapies and medication.
She said: "At that point it had all been so traumatic, and poor Indi was really struggling. I was prepared to give anything a go to help to improve her wellbeing.
"I found the collagen supplement online, and though it was unusual as it's usually a beauty supplement I was prepared to try it out."
Kim started giving Indi Collar-Gen by Pawable, which is the first collagen supplement in the UK designed specifically for dogs. And her willingness to try anything paid off, because Indi responded in dramatic fashion.
"She is now bouncing around like a five year old again. It's amazing.
"The first thing that I noticed was how wonderful her coat looked. Because of the traumatic year her coat had really suffered, but it was really noticeable, you can tell that she feels so well and bright.
"She is mischievous again too, we have three dogs and she is out there investigating with the others, it has been absolutely fantastic." Added Kim.
Indi still has osteoarthritis, and has a monthly injection of medication from the vet.
But Kim credits adding collagen to her diet with enhancing the dog's quality of life.
And Kim's other golden retrievers Orla, five and Samphire, 17 months are benefitting from a healthy and happy Indi too, particularly puppy Samphire.
"The poor puppy had only been with us a week when Indi's back legs went, and she had to be a puppy in the background. It was a really difficult time.
"But now she is loving playing with Indi, and it's wonderful to see", Kim enthused.
