From another list:

 Dear Sirs,

 We would like to inform you of the recent experience we have had with our

 six year old Dobermann dog following his Booster. Tommy was in excellent

 condition and was a Champion showdog who was Top Dobermann in the UK 2000.

 In May 2002 we took Tommy to the Vet for blood tests to see whether he

 needed his Booster and the Vet advised we should give the Leptospirosis

 vaccine as this was safe and would definitely be needed. On his return

 home, Tommy was very quiet and went and lay upstairs on his own. When we

 tried to get him to come downstairs, he had problems getting up off the bed

 and was unco-ordinated. He then tried to get on the bed in the other

 bedroom and when we tried to help him, he fell back screaming in pain and

 could not move.

 We immediately took him to the vets who kept him in for the day on a drip

 saying he had inflammation of his entire body and this was a known reaction

 to the vaccine. He seemed much better by the evening so they said we could

 bring him home but he deteriorated again, collapsed on his back end, wedged

 under the furniture and was screaming in pain. We rang the emergency vets

 who said to rest him and give him metacam. We sat with Tommy throughout the

 night and we got the vet out first thing Saturday (the next morning) and he

 was given morphine and carried out in a blanket to be returned to the vets.

 Over the next few days a myleogram was done and the pictures sent to a

 specialist and surgery was performed on the following Tuesday. One of

 Tommy's discs in the pelvic region had completely blown apart and there was

 massive hemorrhaging. The surgeon said he had never seen anything like it.

 Over the weeks and with physiotherapy, acupuncture and swimming Tommy had

 improved and was standing and sitting and seemed to be making a slow but

 constant recovery. Tommy stayed at a specialist vets in Fleet, where he was

 swum every day and the treatment could not have been better. We then

 started to bring him home weekends and had him home for the last week with

 his daughter Leila, taking him back for swims every day. Throughout this

 time, Tommy was always in high spirits and was getting up onto his feet and

 attempting to move.

 Unfortunately, over the last week, he started to deteriorate and was

 becoming less able to get around. We arranged for a consult with the

 surgeon on 1st August (unfortunately his 7th Birthday) and it became

 apparent after various tests that his nerve damage on the left side was too

 extensive and he would never be able to progress any further. We then had

 to make the terrible decision to let him go and not prolong the situation.

 Tommy had been a wonderful patient endearing himself to all who met him and

 his willpower had been phenomenal. He will be sadly missed.

 The vets have reported the reaction to the Veterinary Drug Board who are

 looking into the matter, which we hope will stop another animal having to

 go through the same trauma.

 We hope this information will hope with your fight and should you require

 any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 Thank you,

 Sue and Zoe Lewsley