Thelma first came into branch care on the 3rd October 2024.
Kind members of the public found Thelma with another small dog, Louise the JRT, and brought them to the vets. The next day, little Wilma was also found nearby and reunited with the others – all dogs had likely been dumped together as they clearly recognised each other.
It was clear to see that they had been abandoned – their fur was matted and they were very wary of humans. Thelma also refused to use her back legs, adapting to walking on her front legs only which suggested that she had been in pain for a while. We took her to the vets and soon discovered why this was – she had awful bruising and her injuries were consistent with being kicked, and her pelvis was broken to the extent where the bone had snapped completely.
We managed to get her into surgery so the vets could put plates in to correct the bones in the hopes they would heal – she was so tiny under all that fur that they weren’t able to put all of the screws in but luckily the surgery was a success!
After a few days of recovery she was already taking tentative steps and using her back legs more and more, the vets were extremely pleased at how well she was recovering. She is a very determined dog!
We are extremely grateful to all the kind donations we received for Thelma’s surgery costs from our JustGiving page, as this has helped cushion the blow of her expensive (but necessary!) surgery.
It’s been lovely to see their personalities emerge as they all get more confident – Louise is very greedy with her food so has to be separated at meal times, and all three are very vocal! With some house training, they will make lovely pets and hopefully lead lives full of love as they have had such a tough start.
Louise and Thelma will be getting rehomed together as they were practically inseparable throughout their time in branch care. The kennels told us that Wilma is an escape artist and loves exploring, and she has since gone to a loving home, ready to start her adventures!
