Stella

Stella was rescued from a high kill shelter in Bosnia and spent several months in our Bosnian kennels before joining us in Kent. Stella has a unique look; big brown eyes, huge ears and a sweet little underbite. At two years old, she is full of life but still hasn't quite worked out how to play. 

When Stella arrived in February 2019, she quickly became poorly; sneezing, coughing and spluttering. Her eyes and nose were constantly running. This was the start of a rough few months for our girl, with countless trips to the vets and several exploratory procedures to help diagnose her illness. We were initially told that she had an infection and she was prescribed various antibiotics, when one seemed to do very little, she was put on another. This continued until we were referred to a veterinary specialist. 

Upon inspection by the specialist, we learned that Stella had been born with an underdeveloped soft palette which allowed food to move through a hole between her mouth and nose, then down into her lungs. The food entering her lungs would then rot, causing regular lung infections. She must of been suffering with this her whole life, with infections occurring periodically. We were told the condition was extremely rare and that the operation required to fix the defect had only been performed a handful of times, but without it Stella would have very little chance of a long and happy life.

Stella was booked in for her operation in April, we had to keep her on her antibiotics to make her as strong and healthy as possible so she had the best chance of success. We were anxious leading up to it, scared that our sweet girl would not pull through. Our nerves reached an all-time high on that day, sitting by the phone waiting for news but finally the vets called us. The operation had been a success and Stella was drowsy but responding well. We would have to wait a few more weeks to know if the operation had healed correctly and if the infections had gone, but it was a big victory for Stella that day. 

Stella has been living at home with us. Kennels aren't really suitable for a poorly pup and we wanted to be with her as much as possible. She slowly got more and more energy, became even more playful and got louder and louder. Stella has to eat soft food, three times a day from a high platform to make sure no food goes into the wrong hole and help to prevent further infections. Stella may require veterinary treatment for the rest of her life, however it is time for us to find Stella a family of her own. 

We are looking for a permanent foster for Stella, someone who has the time to take care of her if she gets sick. Fetcher Dog will continue to pay for Stella's medical bills. Stella is a very sweet and friendly girl and really deserves a forever family of her own. Please email adoptions@fetcherdog.com if you can offer Stella a home.