Fred with growth on his left eye
Fred going for his post op check up
10 year old Fred came into the rescue in November 2017, when his owner was unable to care for him any more after having a stroke. It was originally noted that Fred was rather over weight and during his first vet appointment it was confirmed that he weighed in at 17.5kilos. The vet diagnosed Fred with dry eye, which is a life long condition requiring a prescribed ointment called Optimmune. Fred had a growth on his eye lid which was rather large and irritating him. He would rub his eyes on the carpet and make the growth bleed. Fred had inflamed skin under his arms and on his feet and would lick and chew himself, he was also suffering from a nasty an ear infection. He was prescribed with medication, antibacterial/antimicrobial shampoo and ear drops to treat his skin and ear problems. Sadly his original foster family found Fred to be quite difficult to manage and he did actually bite them when trying to lift him into the bath, so they asked for him to be moved.
His current foster mum’s vet carried out blood tests and confirmed a diagnosis of Cushings Disease and Fred is now on daily medication to manage this. Cushings Disease, also known as hyperadrenocorticism, is the production of excess hormones from the adrenal glands and usually strikes older dogs with a bucket full of symptoms that can mimic other diseases. If untreated can lead to diabetes and if over medicated can lead to the onset of Addinsons disease (which is when the adrenal gland states to under produce and symptoms are far worse).
Fred’s condition needs to be closely monitored by the vet and he requires special blood tests (ACTH simulation test) every 3 months until his condition has stabilised. Fred has had the growth on his eyelid removed and is much more comfortable although we still have to be careful when lifting him into the bath as he’s not keen and isn’t shy in letting us know!
Sadly dogs like Fred are normally more difficult to rehome (the cost to keep Fred in rescue in for 2018 for medication alone, not including vaccinations, flea/worm treatment, shampoo, grooming costs and food was £2,066.64, so that’s approximately £170.00 a month). We have managed to reduce this slightly by getting prescriptions for his Optimmune eye ointment/Vetoryl medication and purchasing through Pet Drugs Online and we are fortunate that his foster carers very generously cover the cost of his grooming, special shampoos, ear cleaner, synthetic tears (viscotears), flea/worming treatments and food which also helps to keep the costs down for the rescue. We are always looking for special foster families who will take on dogs like Fred with ongoing health problems.
If you think you could help a dog like Fred by offering a long term foster home, or would like to sponsor him or one of our long term foster dogs, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Next …… Roxy’s Story