Bobby and Max
our Dogs of the Week!
Fundraising, Rehoming, Information and Events for Needy Dogs
Long Term Foster Dogs
Some dogs in our care are not available for adoption either because they are too ill to be rehomed or not well adjusted enough to be moved into another home. When that happens Dogs Friends continue to pay their bills and ensure the dogs have a good quality of life. Your donations help us look after these special cases, a selection is below.
TeddyBear
This is Teddybear when he arrived. He was like an empty shell of a dog, totally confused. Not scared, not happy, not worried, not understanding, responding to nothing he was….simply empty and distant poor thing.
He saw a vet asap and his list of ailments is sad
19/8/09 AM Teddy went for his appointment with the vet this morning as I had a few concerns......he had started to lick his tumour which in turn looked more angry than it was when he arrived here. Louise (The vet) was very concerned and said anything else was irrelevant seeing this dreadful living thing on his chest. The prognosis was: he has two WEEKS to live!!!!!! The tumour was already breaking down and ulceration had started....it would burst and he would be in serious trouble and emergency euthanasia would be all that could be done. His ONLY chance was to operate and pray. He deserved the chance so we booked in for tomorrow (Thursday) morning. A blood test indicated his liver was fine and good for the operation and Metacam (which helps him very much). Sadly....we had just got home when the tumour started opening, blood was spilling out as was tissue. We returned immediately and Louise had little choice but to euthanise OR operate. I asked for the latter and although the operation itself went surprisingly well he is very slow to recover and needs a drip. We planned to sleep on the floor with him but Teddy is staying in the vets tonight.........I have a good feeling and the vet is quite positive he will recover from the procedure and that will give him a longer life....how much????? who knows BUT for now Teddy looks like he will be 'home' tomorrow afternoon.
19/8/09 PM The vet called as Teddy wasa behaving oddly I wanted to see him and when my daughter Elly and I reached him he had managed to pull his drip out, start howling and throwing food bowls and contents all over the place. We decided to bring him home AND HERE WE ARE!!!! Yippee Teddy is looking good. We are about to cut down a t-shirt (Elly's not mine) to cover his stitches and Elly will be sleeping with him on the floor in the living room tonight and for as long as necessary. Good old Ted...we love you. Thank you all for allowing him chance to live from the pound and again with the operation A quick view of the neat scar.....it is a big one and he is very sore and bruised BUT alive and kicking. What a brave little boy.
20/8/09 There has been two incisions which are not clear on the picture.....one is in a crescent shape with the straight one adjoining it. The tumour on the outside was the size of a tennis ball but considerably larger on the inside. He did not (as usual) settle and poor Elly was awake most of the night!!!! never mind not teaching until 1.45 today so she can have a sleep-in for a couple of hours. We are not sure if he is afraid of the dark or it is a behavioural problem. Teds antibiotic has to be crushed and put into a milky drink as his eating is so awkward. The cat walked in front of him this morning.......and he acted as if he did not even see it BUT his eyesight although not good is not as bad as that.....it is almost as if he has not brain activity!!!!!!! simply standing with no movement or emotion. I am so happy Teddy has survived this major surgery. Will update as and when......Louise please do tell the sponsors/donators/fund raisers that without them TeddyBear and many other poor souls would never enjoy a loving home or experience kindness and stability. Without them all death would be the only option in the cases like Teddy. DogsFriends do not discriminate and have the view ALL dogs are worth saving regardless of breed/age or disability. A tireless band of workers.....Thank you to them all.
7/9/09 Teddy has been back to the vets, and they are very pleased with the wound. Teddy has never licked it or shown the slightest interested in it so healing was easy and the stitches were removed.....looks great, the vet did a grand job.
Histology of the lump is that it is an aggressive tissue/fatty and very vascular tumour, not cancer thank goodness so no secondary problems BUT it is likely to grow again in the same place.....the vet removed a good amount of surrounding tissue so that may stop the re-growth for some time HOWEVER we must keep feeling for any sign of recurrence and get it dealt with quickly.
Teeth and other problems can wait for now as we don't want to upset him more.....we still sleep on the floor downstairs with he needs human contact and can never be left at all...even if everyone is absent from the room for a few moments he howls & dribbles & collapses very distressing for him and us.
He often stares blankly into space and has no idea he is moving about so much.....seems to forget he has just been out, had a drink, moved beds etc.etc.
Metacam has helped him enormously with the sever arthritis in his hips so we will keep him on that. We are also giving him Synoquin to help. Teddy will probably stay now forever with his fostercarer, it would be too unkind to move him and he couldn’t be with a better carer. At least Teddy will know comfort at last, who knows what he’s been through in the past!
Taff
Poor Taff is back with us as he has eye problems and was finding it hard to cope in a busy house, he is seeing the vet to see what can be done for him, an update will follow.
Taff is almost completely blind, it would be great for him to get a permanent home before he looses all his sight. He is only 5 years old but many dogs who are blind live happy lives and with the right person, perhaps with experience of this he will be fine.
Taff is too unpredictable now to rehome, his fosterer is used to him and knows not to fuss him so he will stay with her where he can live a happy life.
Braken
Bruno - Being adopted by his fosterer!
Bruno is 11 years old. When he arrived he was rather a sad case, smelly & grubby, having been given up by his family who say that although they loved him they couldn't take him to their new home or afford to keep him any more. There was no mention of health problems at the time.
After a bath he looked a lot better but that highlighted an awful smell coming from his ears. He was taken to the vet and found to have an horrendous infection in both ears that stank & was making him deaf. He also has arthritic hips, some rotten teeth and a sinister lump under his chin. Now after a long course of medication his ears are much better, he's on daily medication for his arthritis but he is enjoying walks and playing with other dogs both at home & out. He is very gentle and friendly with everyone, In fact he hasn't put a paw wrong, the only concerns are over his health. Once he is fit enough he will be having surgery and investigations to ascertain the exact state of his health.
An update will follow.
Killa
This is ‘Killa’ She is a delightful girl but has issues and cannot cope with behaving in a way suitable for family life. She is however very happy with Dogs Friends and leads a fabulous life running around thinking she is looking after the other dogs. She needs regular vet care to keep her coat comfortable for her and she has seizures so Dogs Friends will continue to let herself enjoy her life, she is so happy just as she is. We are glad to be able to help her.
