ZOOMING across the stone tiles of the garden restaurant, Vesper the little dachshund is like any other dog – alert, protective and active, sniffing everything her nose comes across and tearing after leaves floating down from the trees above.
The only differences are the nappy around her hindquarters and the wheels attached to her back legs. Vesper has intervertebral disc disease, her owner, Judy Jooste, explains.
“It’s very much like osteoarthritis – it’s degenerative and progressive and usually occurs in a dog under the age of four,” she says. “It’s genetically driven and often prevalent in long-backed dogs.”
Vesper also has trouble controlling her bowels, hence the nappy – but other
