Benji was a branch resident, coming to us in June 2023 initially. He was unfortunately in many different kennels prior to coming to us, so kennel life is all he had known for a number of years.
At first, he was on antibiotics for infected anal glands and had sore paws which he used to lick constantly. Our kennel staff started feeding him grain free food and he was also given a hayfever tablet once a day to try and help his itchy feet and slight hair loss.
Benji went into surgery to have one small tooth at the back removed after a dental was recommended, however, his blood test results showed a slightly elevated white cell count which is normally indicative of an infection. Benji was put on another course of antibiotics and then a repeat blood test was carried out on the 9th August 2023. Providing those results came back normal, he would be ready to go to his new home.
The blood test was carried out and Benji’s white cells were still high, so the vets decided to send a sample to the lab to determine why and establish a course of treatment. Despite a sign of this infection being more sinister, Benji was still a happy boy, eating well and having his say!
The sad news came that Benji had leukaemia, and we found after speaking to many other potential adopters, that adopters were put off by the financial burden of what may come next.
He had been in kennels for 1.5 years at this point, so we decided to pull out all the stops to try and find him a long term fosterer where we would continue with his care financially whilst giving him the comfort of a warm, comfortable home. We found a great couple who had previous experience with Benji’s breed and were willing to give him a home, but most importantly, they understood what medical conditions he had and what treatment he needed!
Benji moved to his new home on the 18th November 2023 and we were so happy for him. They were extremely diligent with taking him to his checkups and keeping an eye on him, and they also spent lots of time letting him know he was loved, taking him on walks depending on how much energy he had and giving him the run of the house – sometimes he found it hard to choose between the sofa or the bed, opting for the floor instead!
Unfortunately he had a situation arise at the beginning of December 2023 where his fosterers noticed his breathing was a bit erratic and laboured, he was taken to the vets who then advised he should be admitted to hospital so they could get his heart rate back down and monitor him.
After some further tests, he was diagnosed with heart disease as well, which led to close monitoring. He was happy and healthy until he started developing fluid in his lungs – he had gained about 1kg of weight from this and even though there was the possibility of this being drained, this would worsen his quality of life so the sad decision was made to put Benji to sleep on the 12th November 2024.
By this point, he has exceeded his expected lifespan and had many happy moments with his foster family, but he will be sorely missed.
In loving memory of Benji
