IT was a walk on the beach that saved Rev, though his owners didn’t know it at the time.

Subsequent events, however, were not a walk in the park.

Rev is an amiable Collie who had been rehomed when he was seven years old due to a most unfortunate change in family circumstances.

It happens sometimes and is heart-breaking for all concerned but at least on this occasion his best interests had been catered for.

His new owners were immediately smitten by his calm and pleasant nature, his excellent basic training (sit, stay and recall are vital for all domestic dogs) and his remarkable ability to run like the wind.

Happily devoid of some of the more extreme Collie obsessions (which are great if you want to excel at agility, or rounding up sheep/kids, or having your heels nipped if you move too quickly, but are sometimes difficult to cope with in a family pet), Rev settled into his new life and all was rosy in the garden, or the beach, or the park.

Or at least that’s what we all thought. Rev, however, was a ticking bomb.

He unexpectedly exploded mid-stride while running on the sand at full speed. He bowled over, ploughing the sandy beach in a long furrow with his shoulder, kicked his hind legs like a kangaroo and lay still.

From three hundred yards away, his shocked owners presumed him dead but when they ran to him, he was breathing as hard as they were and his eyes spoke of his discomfort.

Suppressing their adrenaline levels, they bunded him up, cleverly using a jacket as a stretcher, and made for their distant vehicle and phoned ahead to tell us they were coming, but that they feared they might not make it in time.

You never know what to expect under these circumstances, but usually the owners’ expressions as they walk into the waiting room is a give-away.

This time, however, to our great surprise and huge relief, there were smiles all round.

Rev, tail wagging at the attention being lavished upon him, seemed to have completely recovered.

He jumped from the car and paraded into the consulting room. The cause of his collapse was not clear. There was no evidence of cardiac disease. His colour, pulse and respiratory rate were normal. A neurological examination failed to demonstrate any deficiencies. There was nothing to suggest he may have suffered a fit or seizure of any kind.

He was lean, fit, muscular and, wait a minute…he had been castrated. There were no testicles in his scrotum. The new owners presumed he had been operated on long before they got him. But his body shape and type just didn’t properly match with that. Something just didn’t quite fit.

Careful palpation of his abdomen, difficult though it was due to the musculature and his stiffening at every touch, revealed the presence of an unusual, irregular mass situated in front of his bladder.

His prostate was larger than we would have anticipated in a neutered dog.

Further investigation was definitely required. You’ll find out next Friday.