Lou

Lou

In November 2023, under our "Adopt a Stray" programme, we rescued an older stray dog who was destined to be adopted by their reporter once she had been returned to health by us. She is called Lou, and her road to recovery will not be an easy one.

We picked up the little Daschund cross Lou on 7 November 2023. One lady stepped up for this little girl, so we went looking for her and found her lethargic. People in the area have been feeding her and said she did have an owner but they moved and left her.

Lou when rescued

She had dangerously low red blood cells, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia - two tick borne diseases - plus Pyometra, an infected uterus. She will need surgery but had to recover her red blood-cell count and deal with the other diseases first.

When her blood count improved slightly, we decided the surgery couldn't wait, but when we began we discovered she had a very large spleen caused by Ehrlichia. The spleen was in the way of the uterus and needed removing, with her red blood cell count still marginal, continuing with the surgery would have in likelihood killed her.

Lou

In a Catch-22 situation, we decided that since she was still active, eating and not in pain, we bought an injection called Epoetin Alpa, which can boost red blood cell production. Within a couple of days her red blood cells started to increase, and with a cocktail of antibiotics, she got well enough for her spleen to be removed. She has one final surgery to go to remove her uterus, but we are delighted to say she is now with her adoptive family, getting all the attention and cuddles she needs to get well enough!