Two year-old Doug was given a new lease of life after surgery to remove growths in his eyes and a new diet to increase his weight – and is now loving life in his forever home
Doug was signed over to RSPCA care in June when his owner was struggling to cope.
He had a successful operation to remove excess skin due to a condition called cherry eye. He will need a check-up every 6 months to ensure the condition doesn’t return.
He was severely underweight when he first came into RSPCA care (below) and responded well to a new diet.
Animal rescue officer (ARO) Lee Ricketts persuaded Doug’s former owner to hand him over to RSPCA care when it was clear he was unable to meet his needs.
He said: “When I first saw Doug I was shocked that such a large dog could be so severely underweight. I discussed his diet with the owner and unfortunately he had been feeding him his own food scraps and processed food that was not suitable for dogs. Doug was clearly unwell or had been given an unsuitable diet over a very long period.
“His eyes looked incredibly sore, I was informed by the owner that he had previously had cherry eye surgery, however due to misinformation from a friend he was unaware that if this condition reoccurs it can be operated on again. Any dogs which have previously had cherry eye should aim to get their eyes checked every six months. He’d left the dog suffering with this painful condition for a long time and even when we offered assistance he was unwilling to get him the treatment he needed.
Katie Shilling from RSPCA Danaher Animal Home matched Doug with his new owner. She said: “When Doug first came into our care he was in a bit of a sorry state and definitely needed some TLC. He was underweight and suffering with cherry eye in both eyes.
“Despite all of this, Doug was affectionate and loving with his handlers straight away. He loved everyone he met and even enjoyed the occasional group dog walk where he was able to socialise.
“Over time, Doug slowly began to put on weight as well as have surgery in both eyes and has since recovered well.
“It was a pleasure looking after Doug whilst he had his temporary stay with us and seeing the growth and change from when he first arrived to the day he went to his forever home. It’s lovely to know he is now thriving in his new home with his wonderful family.”
He has now landed on his paws as lorry driver Lee Topper (pictured above, with Doug) has given him his forever home. Lee says: “He’s fantastic, what a lovely dog. I took him to a rugby match a couple of weeks ago, and he was having a great time, he’s so laid back.
“He loves his food. He’s not a problem. He’s a good boy and is good company.
“Adopting through the RSPCA was fantastic, Katie made it so easy for us. She found the perfect match!”
The RSPCA is currently facing the biggest rehoming crisis in recent memory, leaving rescue centres and branches “full to bursting” with more unwanted animals coming into care than are being adopted. This comes at a time when seven in 10 people say they are not planning on getting a new pet
To try and revive adoption rates, the RSPCA’s month-long Adoptober rehoming campaign launched this month (October), celebrating the wonder of rescue pets, and highlighting the many animals the charity has waiting to find their perfect match.
Visit the RSPCA’s Find A Pet to see all of the animals currently in the charity’s care who are looking for their paw-fect match, or help the RSPCA continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming by donating online or calling their donation line on 0300 123 8181.
