06/07/2023
Meet our latest boy, 5 year old Charlie. He was picked up straying on Coronation weekend (hence the name) and as unclaimed joined us at SYESSR ❤️ He is not ready to find a home yet as we need to further assess him and get his health sorted first.
As soon as a dog like this comes in the first step is a vet check. Usually as a minimum they need neutering, vaccinating, flea & worm treatment but often more things come to light.
Poor Charlie is no exception, he arrived a little underweight but seeming happy and friendly enough. We took him for a little walk and he appeared to be a calmish boy who wasn't especially foodie and wouldn't take treats or eat much in general but did like a ball ⚾️
A quick examination resulted in a growl when we we went near his ears so we were expecting the vets to inform us he had an infection, and they did. The poor boy has a really nasty pseudomonas infection which is resistant to most antibiotics and as it appears it has damaged is eardrum some of the remaining ones won't be able to be used either. He is therefore in for a long and expensive journey to get it sorted. Initially he is going to need weekly ear flushing in conjunction with treatment, which is not only expensive and time consuming for us, it is stressful and risky for him too (he will need a general anesthetic each time).
The difference in him immediately after having his first ear flush showed us just how bad it must have been making him feel as gone was the calm dog, he is now a very bouncy boy who we struggle to hold on a lead he is so strong and his lack of appetite has been replaced with that of a normal greedy spaniel, loving food and treats ❤️. The poor boy must have been feeling awful before 😞
Our vet says she suspects he has struggled with ear infections for a long time and failed attempts to treat it are what probably caused it to become resistant to so many antibiotics. The lesson here is if your dog has an infection and is prescribed antibiotics always always continue treatment until you (& your vet) are sure it has fully gone to avoid more drug resistant strains getting hold.
Fingers crossed 🤞 we will be able to get his ears sorted without further complications so he can go on to enjoy the rest of his life.
I will share a video of him in the comments to show just how Springy he is feeling after just the first stage of the treatment (FB won't let me do it alongside his photo)
