Sick and homeless dog finds love

One plucky chihuahua with health problems hasn’t let them put him off finding love.

Eight-year-old Teddy found himself looking for a new home when, devastatingly, his previous owner was made homeless.

“Being forced to part with a beloved pet due to circumstances beyond your control is utterly heartbreaking,” says Aaron Potter, Animal Welfare Assistant at Blue Cross Hertfordshire, who cared for Teddy while he stayed at the rehoming centre.

“Before we could find Teddy a new home, we got him help for a few health problems and also looked after him a foster home as, having come from a loving home with all the usual home comforts, he was finding the kennel environment stressful.”

Teddy had been his previous owner’s constant companion for many years. When he came into our centre, he found kennels lonely and isolating. Being used to cuddling up on a lap for hours at a time, we knew a foster home would make him much more comfortable.

Teddy’s foster carer, Sandra Brooks, says: “He’s a real companion dog. He just loves to cuddle up to you. We’ve loved having him to stay and know he’ll make a lovely little companion for someone.”

Each and every pet who comes into our rehoming centres undergoes a full health check on arrival. We noticed Teddy had a persistent cough so he underwent tests to get to the route cause.

Teddy was found to have a collapsed trachea, or windpipe. Dogs with this condition are believed to be born with it, but it may not appear until later in life.

Tracheal collapse can be a very serious disease, causing breathing difficulties and wheezing in many cases. Fortunately for Teddy, further testing revealed he was suffering from a mild grade of the condition, which we managed with medication.

Being on the portly side, we also put Teddy on a weight loss diet which, as well as being good for his overall health, will help to control – although not cure - his condition. Teddy’s new owners will need to watch him carefully in hot weather and make sure he sticks to his diet to keep his windpipe in check.

After 79 days in Blue Cross care, Teddy left us – tail wagging – to begin his next chapter as a much loved family pet.