A 10-month old French bulldog signed over to the care of Bristol Animal Rescue Centre with life-limiting injuries has now made an amazing recovery thanks to the charity’s hardworking team.
With the cost of living causing many pet owners financial difficulties, the charity is seeing an increase in animals arriving with severe medical conditions.
One such pet is Stanley, who arrived at Bristol Animal Rescue Centre four months ago via the RSPCA Inspectors, with a fracture on his right elbow, a common injury in juvenile French Bulldogs but, as it had been left untreated, it had become so much worse and affected his ability to walk.
He also had a skin allergy, affecting his feet, skin and ears, for which he needed medication. Like many other dogs of his breed, he has excessive facial folds, which caused eczema and was quite uncomfortable for him.
“Stanley is a sweet little puppy but when he arrived we immediately knew that all wasn’t right with him. He was struggling to walk and clearly in a great deal of pain. Nevertheless, he was very tolerant of being handled. It was almost like he knew we were trying to help him,” said Georgia Hawkins of the Animal Behaviour Team at Bristol Animal Rescue Centre.
“After some time getting to know him, we discovered that he hadn’t been properly socialised. He was very vocal when left alone and could sometimes get frustrated and snappy, which is understandable given the amount of pain he must have been in,” she added.
Once he had been signed over by his previous owners, Stanley was rushed in for emergency surgery with our on-site vet team and has since undergone daily physiotherapy to help get his legs working again.
Dr Damian Pacini, Principal Vet at Bristol Animal Rescue Centre, said: “Despite our surgical attempts, we’ve been unable to correct his elbow problem, although his leg works better than it did before. He’ll always have a limp, but it doesn’t limit his enjoyment of life and, aided by some anti-inflammatories he’s a pretty active chap. We have also performed some surgery on his facial folds, which will give him some relief from the skin inflammation which was bothering him before”.
After Stanley had been treated and spent some time with our animal care team, he began to relax and his cheeky personality has now begun to emerge.
“Stanley is now an enthusiastic little pup who is affectionate and playful. He likes to say hello to everyone he passes in the street so they can have the opportunity to admire him – and he does have a lot of admirers! This gorgeous boy deserves a home full of support and plenty of cuddles,” added Georgia.
A growing problem
Stanley is just one of many animals we see who arrive at Bristol Animal Rescue Centre with significant medical issues.
“Many pets are going without urgent medical care, particularly during the cost of living crisis and unfortunately we are picking up the pieces,” explained Jodie Hayward, Animal Home Manager at Bristol Animal Rescue Centre.
“More animals are coming into our care with complex needs, and fewer people want to adopt them. We need support to give more of them a second chance at a happy life,” she added.
We’re here to make sure that no animal gets left behind, but we’re up against a challenge. Nationally, animal intake is up 8.4%* as pet owners struggle to afford their pets’ care during the cost of living crisis.
We’re seeing an increase in pets arriving with untreated medical conditions, which means they’re staying longer too – the average stay for a dog is up from 85 days to 93 days. Not only that, but there are fewer people willing to adopt, particularly dogs like Stanley with complex needs.
Dogs like Stanley need time, patience and care. We wouldn’t be able to provide that without our kind supporters. By giving what you can, you’re helping to ensure dogs like Stanley get a second chance at a happy life.
Please donate to our Spring Appeal to help more vulnerable animals like Stanley.
