Case studies
Emergency Fund
Details of dogs that have benefited from the Emergency Fund are available on our Emergencies page. More details...
Scarlett, Greyhound Gap (Ocotober 2007)
Scarlett was a 6 week old puppy, the sole survivor in her litter. She was taken into the care of Greyhound Gap where she could be kept warm and comfortable while her problems were investigated.
She had a very severe flea infestation causing anaemia. Her belly was so full of worms, it resembled a hernia. Her most dangerous problem, was threatening her life. She could not keep her food down. The diagnosis was either a congenital fault that had caused a tear in her oesophagus or trachea or these problems had been caused by compression. She needed to be seen by a specialist vet immediately if she was to be saved. It was also found that she had two broken ribs and another cracked.
The specialist vet diagnosed vascular ring anomaly. She was put on a critical care plan. This meant her feed was closely monitored intravenously and tests were carried out for liver and kidney damage. Once nourishment could get through, Scarlett’s oesophagus began repairing itself, a miracle in itself.
After many scary weeks, where Scarlett had to be repeatedly wormed, she is at last starting to grow and behave as a normal puppy. Her growth rate has been severely stinted but it remains to be seen if she will become a full size greyhound.
Her veterinary treatment costs were in excess of £2,000. Sighthound Welfare Trust immediately granted £500 towards her bill.
Cassie,
Cassie, a young greyhound was discovered in July 2007, at the edge of a railway track in Castleford, suffering from horrific injuries. It is thought she had lain there for at least 24 hours before being discovered. Veterinarians were unsure if she was able to survive an operation initially but after rest and rehydration they decided to try to save her. Amongst other injuries she had a compound fracture to the front left leg and cuts to the body and had to undergo an operation to have the leg pinned. She also required lots of TLC. Whitehall Dog Rescue was concerned that they might not be able to afford the total cost of treatment, over £1,500.
SWT stepped in and granted £250 to help this poor girl. Cassie has made a full recovery.