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Nala the rescue dog was destined to become a film star but instead became the lead character in her own story, which ended with her death.
It was a devastating loss for her owner Kelsi Ball, who has now spoken out after a two-year battle that included a legal challenge against the veterinary company that vaccinated the dog.
Nala died in April from what Ball said were complications linked to her ongoing illness after she was given a vaccine in 2024.
The dog’s death followed a Disputes Tribunal ruling awarding compensation to Ball for a fraction of the almost $80,000 it cost her over two years for life-saving treatment.
The $8000 order against the Veterinary Hospital Group reflected what the tribunal said was the initial invoice for Nala’s treatment after the “unfortunate claim” over ongoing vet costs because of a possible reaction to vaccinations, tribunal referee Philip McKinstry said.
A spokesperson for Veterinary Hospital Group declined to comment on the outcome.
In 2024, Nala spent 12 nights in intensive care a week after she was given Vanguard Plus 5, a combination viral vaccine for dogs.
Nala developed a life-threatening auto-immune condition called immune-mediated thrombocytopenia (IMPT). Affected pets are at risk of spontaneous bleeding from the nose and mouth.
Nala, whose character caught the attention of animal behaviour specialist Mark Vette and sparked appearances in movies and on television, suffered ongoing problems. Signs her condition was worsening began in January this year when Nala was rushed into emergency surgery.
“She just kept having complication after complication,” Ball told NZME.
Then, on April 26, Nala curled up in pain and the call was made to end her life.
“Honestly, she just kept trying and trying and trying,” Ball said.
“She was my best friend. She was so, so loyal.”
The tribunal said determining an appropriate award was not easy because the law treated pets as chattels and an award for emotional attachment to a pet was limited.
“Kelsi clearly loves Nala and would do anything for her,” McKinstry said.
It was some vindication for Ball, whose aim in speaking out now was to raise awareness of the rare but devastating impact the particular vaccine was believed to have had on Nala.
Two routine vaccinations
In early 2024, Ball took Nala to Hobsonville Vet Hospital in West Auckland for two routine vaccinations, but claimed the vaccine she was given without consultation or consent was the equivalent of five vaccines in one day.
Grant McCullough, director of Veterinary Hospital Group, which owned Hobsonville Vet Hospital, told the Herald at the time the vaccine was given within the manufacturer’s guidelines and his vet had operated within the code of vet practice.
He said immune-type reactions occurred for a number of unknown reasons but the vaccine couldn’t be ruled out.
Clinical notes from the emergency vet said there were various possible causes of IMPT and noted the vaccination was likely.
Vanguard Plus 5 is a combination viral vaccine for dogs.
In June last year, New Zealand Food Safety alerted the Veterinary Council of New Zealand to stop using it on puppies younger than 14 weeks after a review found most distemper cases in a two-year survey were vaccine-induced.
Aussie born and bred
Nala, a mixed breed with a dash of Australian cattle dog and a dash of German Shepherd, was adopted by Ball when she was teaching in an Aboriginal community in Western Australia.
The starving, filthy, tick-ridden puppy had been turning up daily at a local shop whose owners fed her and one day asked Ball if she’d like to take her.
The two became inseparable. In September 2020, just before Ball was due to finish her contract and return to New Zealand, the pair were involved in a serious car accident.
Ball hit a cow that was lying injured on the road.
She was seriously injured while Nala went missing for three and a half days in 46C heat.
Ball said the community response was huge with many searching for Nala, who was eventually found and the pair were reunited.
Movie and television roles beckon
Ball’s injuries and the Covid pandemic delayed their return to New Zealand but the pair made it back in 2021.
Ball resumed working as a specialist learning and behaviour teacher.
Nala was settling into her new Kiwi lifestyle and attending online training with Vette, who sparked Nala’s foray into film and television.
Ball said Nala was “super smart”, loved any task she was given and made an impression on all who met her.
“Everyone was always curious about Nala because she was so unique-looking and really quite smart.”
In 2024, Nala was due to fly to the South Island for a part in the Spartacus spin-off shot throughout New Zealand.
Ball was also set for a two-week road trip in America with her father, Alastair. He had developed a close bond with Nala and bankrolled much of her treatment, Ball said.
Both trips were cancelled when Nala fell ill.
Ball, who was still suffering from ongoing injuries from the car accident and requiring further surgery, said her life for the next two years was a whirlwind of vet appointments, sometimes weekly, plus medications administered up to five times a day.
“Life was just caring for Nala. I was so determined because she still had so much life in her.”
The cycle was interrupted by a new health crisis for Ball, who underwent emergency surgery on her abdomen in June last year. Nala stuck by her side throughout Ball’s recovery.
Nala’s life ended after fun day at sea
On Anzac weekend this year, Nala went on a family boating trip in Auckland. She was happy and then suddenly she wasn’t, Ball said.
“She would just keep lying down. And I just knew that... her body had had enough.”
Ball was holding Nala as she was administered the drug that put her to sleep.
The New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) strongly advocates for routine pet immunisation while acknowledging adverse events can occasionally happen.
