07/04/24 – Sadly Lucy went downhill very quickly and the kindest thing was to have her put to sleep. Run free lovely girl xx
Lucy is an 11 years old West Highland White Terrier who came into the Oldies Club in February 2022 as her owner could sadly no longer care for her.
Lucy settled well into her foster home and showed quickly that she is rather sociable with both people and other dogs. Apart from a few lumps and bumps, itchy skin and being a little on the chunky side Lucy seemed in relatively good health. All seemed to be going well and after her assessment period Lucy went up on our website for rehoming and not surprisingly the rehome team were flooded with people interested in adopting her. After a very hard decision on their part, as there were many excellent applications, a couple were chosen who happened to have adopted from Oldies Club before.
Shortly before Lucy was due to go to her new home she was having a few accidents which seemed most likely caused by an infection so a urine sample was submitted. Unfortunately the sample showed up something more nasty lurking that needed investigating. There were proteins and crystals in the urine as well as signs of a bacterial infection. Lucy moved to her new home on a foster-to-adopt basis whilst this was undertaken. She had an ultrasound which showed one kidney slightly larger than the other but no signs of stones. The smaller kidney was leaking protein and blood into her urine. Lucy started on medication and placed on a renal diet. She was referred to a specialist for further investigation who sadly confirmed that she has chronic kidney disease and possibly a separate glomerular injury.
Lucy’s medication for her kidneys as well as her skin issues costs approximately £350 a month. She will also need to have regular check-ups. Due to these high medication costs it was decided that Lucy would remain in Oldies Club care as a sponsor dog and the charity will cover her vet bills for the rest of her life.
Lucy is a very friendly dog, she loves meeting people and other dogs although some she shows no interest in and just walks past. She has made friends with all the neighbours and the postman.
Lucy travels well in the car until it comes to a stop. Then she gets very excited, barking and scrabbling at the windows to get out and start her next adventure. She loves her walks and can walk quite a distance. She particularly likes walking in the local woods and paddling in the stream. She is kept on a short lead near roads as if there’s a cat or squirrel she’ll be at the end of the lead before you’ve blinked.
Lucy has a favourite chair in the sun room where she snoozes and keeps half an eye on the goings on in the garden. She spends a lot of time in the garden on squirrel and cat patrol but she never gets close to catching one. She loves rolling in the grass and drinking out of the water butt.
Because of her specialised diet Lucy is unable to have the usual doggy treats, but she loves crunching on a carrot and hunting for her biscuits in her snuffle mat, which can keep her busy for hours. She is very tolerant of all the tablets she has to take and all the medical procedures she’s had to endure. Her vet thinks she is a special dog as she always gives him a big lick after a visit.
If you would love to offer a home to an oldie but your circumstances aren’t suitable, perhaps you would be kind enough to sponsor Lucy, or one of the other special oldies we are caring for in our sponsor dog scheme.