20/1/12 Tragically, after a number of weeks in her foster home with no sign of having fits, Jess has tonight suffered a massive fit. The vet managed to bring her round briefly but she started fitting again and the only option was to let her be at peace. We’re so sorry for Jess and for her lovely foster family who have taken such good care of Jess and are now devasted. :(
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Jess is an 11 year old Springer Spaniel who came into Oldies Club care after her owner took her to the vet to be put to sleep. The vet, thankfully, refused and Jess is now in an Oldies Club foster home in Dundee, waiting for someone to offer her a permanent home.
Settled quickly: Jess settled immediately with her foster family and their dogs. It took a few days for her to eat normally but this is to be expected after 11 years with the same family. She didn’t show any other signs of stress though.
Can be left for a few hours: Jess is happy to be left alone for a few hours. She is quiet and non-destructive. She settles well downstairs overnight too. She is completely house-trained and her foster carer has only heard her bark once and that was in play.
Wouldn’t be happy with full-time workers: Jess is very people orientated and wouldn’t want to spend long hours alone regularly. Her foster carer therefore thinks that she isn’t suitable to live with full-time workers as she would be depressed.
Excellent with dogs: Jess is fantastic with dogs and could live with another dog. However, she does enjoy a lot of attention so probably wouldn’t be happy to live with a large pack.
Unknown with cats: There are no cats in Jess’s foster home but she will chase them outside if given the chance.
Fabulous with children: Jess could live with respectful children that are past the toddler stage. She is happy to lay her head on her foster carer’s six year old son’s lap for cuddles.
Good on walks: Jess loves her walks and gets very excited when the lead comes out. She likes to walk on an extending lead but is good on a short lead also. Her recall is good when she isn’t distracted by birds or leaves — she has a typical Springer chase instinct. Jess doesn’t run up to other dogs off lead and she will recall from a play session. Her foster carer has been building up Jess’s muscle tone in her back legs with walks no longer than 20 minutes three times a day, but she could go further.
Uneasy about car travel: Jess is a bit scared of the car but is improving every day. She’s not sick, but she shakes a bit. She is happiest on the back seat with a harness rather than in the boot.
Jess’s favourite pastimes: Walks; Sleeping; Tummy tickles; Getting cuddles. She will chase a ball on occasion but prefers cuddles!
Jess’s dislikes: She was not overly keen on a bouncy puppy she met in the park, but other than that Jess has been fine with everything. She’s not fazed by busy traffic, nor the hoover etc.
Jess’s perfect home: A home where she can have cuddles most of the day and with someone who doesn’t mind being followed around. Jess likes to move if you move and wants to be with you most of the time.
Health notes: Jess is in the process of being vaccinated and will be microchipped and spayed shortly. She has been wormed and flea treated.
Jess was taken to the vet by her previous owner to be PTS. Her owners reported that she had been having infrequent fits for the last two years but they had never sought a vet’s advice. They said she had had 3 fits over the weekend, each lasting more than 15 mins! The vet refused to put Jess to sleep and sought a rescue that would take her, and so she came to the Oldies Club. A full blood count has been done and this came back all within normal range. Jess has been with us for over 4 weeks and there have been no fits or periods of blankness at all, even during the stressful period when she first arrived.
Our foster carer’s vet is inclined to treat Jess as if she is not epileptic as, at the moment, there is no evidence to suggest that she is. He feels it’s possible that if the fits happened at all they could be hormone related and spaying her will help. Jess’s foster carer says: “Having owned an epileptic Springer in the past, I see no signs at all of Jess being ill. The vet agrees that she is in very good condition given her age”.
Foster carer’s summary of Jess: “Beautiful; Cuddly; Loving; Friendly. She is a beautiful girl who does not look or act 11 years old. Fabulous cuddly nature and an all round easy dog to live with. She deserves a home that has cuddles to spare! She prefers to eat once a day and is used to a mixture of complete dried and tinned. She loves to have all the attention for herself and will push in if another dog is having cuddles but not in an aggressive way. She shares toys happily.”
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If you can offer Jess a permanent home, please refer to our Adoption Procedures for information about the adoption process. You can then contact an Oldies Club rehoming co-ordinator as follows:
Email: rehome@oldies.org.uk
Telephone: 0844 586 8656
She can be rehomed anywhere in the UK, subject to a satisfactory home visit, but note that you will be required to travel to the foster home to meet him.
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If you would love to offer a home to an oldie but your circumstances aren’t suitable, perhaps you would be kind enough to sponsor one of the special oldies we are caring for that, due to health problems, are unlikely to be offered a permanent home.