Stray Lurcher Elspeth had a lot to overcome
Senior stray Elspeth arrived severely underweight, distressed and dealing with painful dental issues.
10-year-old Lurcher, Elspeth was brought into Woodgreen’s care after being found as a stray. She was extremely thin so our team worked quickly to assess her condition and treat her.
It was important to get Elspeth back to a healthy weight but she was at risk of ‘re-feeding syndrome’, a serious condition that can occur when food is introduced too quickly to a malnourished dog. To avoid this, we fed her frequent small meals that allowed her stomach to adjust.
While Elspeth was eating and gaining weight, further investigation revealed some serious dental issues. Some teeth were missing while others had been completely worn down to the gums which had exposed the nerve endings, causing significant pain.
The practicing vet was shocked at the condition of her teeth and said “it looked like she had been eating something as hard as rocks”.
Poor Elspeth needed lots of extractions and we knew it was going to be a long operation. For Elspeth’s safety, we didn’t want to keep her under general anaesthetic for too long and so the vet decided to spread the procedure across two surgeries.
After the second dental procedure went well, her gums began to heal nicely and Elspeth had a new lease of life. No longer dealing with extreme pain, this 10-year-old dog began to act more like a puppy than a senior!
A fresh start for Elspeth
After almost three months in our care, Elspeth was finally ready to look for a new home.
As an older dog with an extensive medical history, our rehoming team worked tirelessly to find someone that could meet all of her needs.
Elspeth found her perfect match in Ruth and quickly got settled in her new favourite spot, Ruth’s sofa! Now at a healthy weight and enjoying plenty of sofa snoozes, Ruth tells us she’s now had to adjust Elspeth’s food again – this time to avoid putting too much weight on!
“Elspeth loves meeting new people and they enjoy meeting her. Sometimes people drop by the office just to say hello to her – to which I comment ‘what about me!’.”