May 2011: We are very sad to have to let you know that Ben has sadly passed away due to his illness :( Everyone at Oldies Club is very grateful to Ben’s wonderful foster family, who took such great care of him since he arrived in Oldies Club care. Sleep tight Ben, you will be missed very much.
Ben is a gorgeous 14 year old Shetland Sheepdog who came into Oldies Club care when his owner had to move without him.
Just before Christmas, Ben had to have chest x-rays for a persistent cough and these revealed that he very sadly has an inoperable mass in his chest :(
The vet advised that Ben could have 2-6 months of quality life, with palliative care and so Oldies Club has opted to make Ben a sponsor dog. Ben will remain with his wonderful foster family for the rest of his life.
Ben is quite a frail old lad who needs lots of TLC. He was timid at first, upon arrival at his foster home, but settled down once he felt comfortable and secure. His foster family say he is a great character and very affectionate and will seek them out so he can be stroked :) He also loves being brushed gently and as you can see, has a beautiful coat to show for it.
Ben is only able to go for very short walks. He is almost totally deaf and is a little short-sighted too and he is pretty unsteady on his feet outside. His foster carers always take him for a walk with one their dogs and he follows them quite naturally. If he goes alone he tends to be very slow and wander aimlessly, needing a lot of gentle encouragement to go in the right direction. He is fine in the car but needs to be lifted in and out as he can’t jump at all.
Ben is a rather fragile old boy who can’t manage stairs very well and slips easily on smooth surfaces – and then freezes until someone rescues him! He was treated for ear and eye infections after coming into Oldies Club care and has medication for arthritis in his front legs.
His foster family tells us that he gets very excited when they get up in the morning and seems to forget about his age and sore legs and looks just like a puppy! He suffers for it later though :(
Isn’t he gorgeous?
Ben gets through a surprisingly large amount of food and seems to have a very good constitution. He is happy eating anything, either dried food or meat, however he does seem to prefer meat with mixer in it. He doesn’t like to be interrupted by the other dogs in his foster home while he’s eating – and who can blame him?!
Ben enjoying a walk :)
Ben’s foster family say he is a lovely old dog with impeccable manners. We all hope that Ben will enjoy quality of life in his foster home for some time to come.
If you would like to help Oldies Club care for other dogs in its care, please consider making a donation or taking part in our Sponsor Scheme, by clicking HERE.