I've got a really sad update on a dog whose story went viral on Facebook and other social media. Found in woodland locally this boy was extremely weak, so weak he couldn't stand by himself, and as well as sores and abrasions on various parts of his body, he also had a serious injury to his front right leg. You can see so in the pictures below, in the way his leg is flat to the floor.
Once we were notified we had him rushed to our vets as an emergency and he immediately was given pain relief and put on intravenous fluids. Nurses spent hours trying to make him comfortable, hand feeding him chicken and assisting him when he wanted to try and stand.
Things were going well, he was eating, but yesterday things took a dramatic turn for the worse. George as the nurses had decided to call him, stopped eating. I'd been in to see him on Wednesday and he was sleeping soundly, yesterday he was awake when I called but he just didn't seem to want to acknowledge I was there, just lay there with his back turned to me and lay motionless.
George didn't pick up as the day went on, and after several conversations with the vets, it was decided that the only way we could know for sure what was going on was to perform a CT scan. This of course wasn't a very cheap option, but given the goodwill of Northumberland Animal Welfare Team, Moorview Vets and some very generous donations from members of the public who had heard about George, it meant when he really needed it, we could give him the best.....
The scan proved worthwhile, and certainly justified the extra cost over X Rays, as sadly the images showed the real reason behind George not eating and probably was he was in such an emaciated state. His stomach was full of food from the day before, food that should of passed through his system by then, and further investigation showed a large tumour blocking the passage from his stomach into his intestines. It was basically starving him to death.
Even on a healthy dog of full weight and well being, an operation to remove a tumour in such a delicate place would be almost impossible. Given his horrendous condition, an anaesthetic would of been to much for George. All we could do was let him go with no more suffering.....
I'd like to thank everyone who has helped this little guy over the last few days of his life. The Warden who brought him to us, all the vets and nurses involved in trying to help him, and of course the people who put hard earned funds into the pot that allowed us to give him the best treatment. The pain is all over for him now, but his gorgeous face will be remembered in the hearts of a lot of people who saw him.....
