The Farmhouse

Fen Bank, Friskney

Lincolnshire

PE22 8PS

Tel: 01754 820593

Tel / fax: 01472 822979

Rusty

I would like to introduce you to one of our recent residents at the Sanctuary, he is called Rusty as he reminded Sandra of a dog from her past who had the same name.

He was found on wasteland at Grimsby, lying curled up on the grass where he had settled down to die without a doubt, by a man and his Rottweiler who nearly walked over him. The very kind man picked him up and carried him back to the car then took him home and went on the internet to find a local greyhound rescue and so began Rusty’s road to recovery.

Rusty arrived at Fen Bank on the evening on Friday 12^th June weighing in at 11.5 kilos. Sores on his joints down to the bone, the joint fluid leaking out. His bottom an open wound with no skin on it and infested with maggots. His coat filthy, full of open sores and bald patches but he still managed to wag his tail and he was eager to eat so his will to live was strong. He had obviously only been dumped recently after being kept shut away somewhere as most of his sores are from lying on concrete in his own urine and mess.


Saturday 13^th June	11.5 kilos	A very sore bottom


	Sores open to the bone	and leaking joint fluid.

Rusty was immediately installed in a warm kennel with a thick bed of duvets, given a small meal and left to rest for an hour. That night he was fed and watered hourly and had most of the maggots from round his bottom removed. On the Saturday morning Rusty paid his first visit to the vet where he was gven mild antibiotics, a thorough examination and a 50/50 chance of recovery. Probably better odds than he had ever had before in his short life.

These pictures were taken after three days of intensive care and hourly feeding during the day and two hourly feeding throughout the night. His system can only take small amounts of food at a time. He is getting better slowly and we are all hopeful that he will pull through. He is now wagging his tail and snuggles up for a cuddle.


	Tuesday 16th June - he is standing better	Bottom has scabbed nicely

Update after a week – he has been back to the vet and he has put on 1.5 kilos which is just right. The time between feeds can now increase as can the amount at each feed as his system starts to work properly again. His sores are all scabbing nicely and the area round his bottom is looking a lot better and less angry.

Friday 19^th June and its kisses and cuddles and a much happier looking dog than 7 days ago!

He is standing taller and his tail goes round in circles every time one of his many visitors appears and Jenny gets a special kiss and an attempt at a bounce.


Friday 19^th June the right leg is starting to heal slowly	The bottom is no longer angry red	Starting to gain some weight

Rusty is losing the sharp edges on his pin bones and his thighs as he slowly puts some weight on.

On the 23^rd June just ten days after his arrival the sun was shining and in the lovely warm afternoon Rusty had a bath and, as you can see from the photos, boy did he enjoy it!

Afterwards he went for a walk on the front lawn and had a roll on the grass and then, after a snack, he fell asleep in the sun. How good must it feel to him to be clean and to have warm sun and a gentle breeze caressing his skin and easing into his bones after being shut in some concrete hellhole somewhere.

Rusty has tattoos in both ears, which usually signifies an Irish bred dog, but at the moment we are unable to find any registration for him. The GBGB and the Irish Coursing Club have been given the information and hopefully something will come of it.

One day things may get better but don’t hold your breath………………..

Update - August 2009

After a lot of searching a chap from a greyhound welfare organisation traced Rusty’s ear marks and found that he was born on 6^th April 2006 in Ireland, and after 2 bad races he was sold at auction. It is likely that he was running at a couple of local unlicensed or ‘flapping’ tracks. Enquiries are still underway.

The latest news about Rusty is that he has put weight on and the sores around his bottom have healed. The sores on his legs were of much longer standing and are taking longer to heal but he is having medicinal honey dressings put on daily on the worst ones and they are improving.

These latest photos show just how well he is doing and what a difference TLC and a full tummy makes.

Rusty has made an excellent recovery although he will still need a lot of TLC and attention as emotionally he is very clingy and unsure.

The Fen Bank trustees would like to say thank you to:

all the wonderful people who sent us cheques and cash to help Rusty with a special mention to the chap who turned up on his motorbike and gave us his week’s wages.
all the people who have been to see Rusty and brought cash, food, treats, duvets and herbal medication.
Alistair Mitchell at Pilgrim Vets in Boston who has treated Rusty and closely monitored his progress without charge.
Trudy at Greytexploitations.
all the staff and volunteers at Fen Bank who have gone that extra mile to ensure Rusty has the very best care and attention.
Other people who wish to remain anonymous but know who they are.

The biggest thanks goes to Rusty himself for having the will to live and love after all he has been through!

Update - September 2009

Rusty is now called Special and has gone to live with Janice, one of our long-term volunteers who is a very experienced greyhound owner. Janice kindly wrote the following:

When I first set eyes on Rusty I fell in love. He was still too weak to stand and he was covered in many dreadful sores, many of which were down to the bone. Then he looked at me and wagged his tail with such enthusiasm that I could not help myself, I was in love. I wanted to keep him safe and have him home to live with me for the rest of his life.

He wasn’t strong enough to be moved straightaway so I had to wait for several weeks until his sores had healed and he was strong enough to face our mob of three lively Greyhounds and two German Shepherds. The nursing he received at Fen Bank was superb under the direction of their wonderful Veterinary Surgeon Alistair who is the principal of Pilgrim Vets in Boston. They allowed me to help with this, and I could only admire Rusty’s patience as the dressings on those terrible sores were changed. The pain must have been awful but he was so good. I know that sometimes I cried for him.

At last the day dawned when I was told he could come home. Jenny brought him. We sat down with a cup of tea to monitor his meeting with the others. We were both amazed at how quickly he settled in and got his feet under the table. Over the next few weeks he decided that he was top dog. Both the girls, Pickles and Evie, and my very placid cheerful Charlie were quite happy to let him be king. He so enjoys life, and adores racing at speed around our half-acre garden with the others. He and Evie are level pegging, with the others in hot pursuit.

He is extra-affectionate, giving little nips to my hands if I stop fussing him. Like all Greyhounds, he is a ‘love sponge’ and adores us as much as we adore him. We are so grateful to Fen Bank and to Jenny for all the love and care she gave him. She always said that he was special and told him so so often that he responded to it as his name. So that is who he became.

For a dog to be so badly neglected and yet to be so forgiving and friendly to everyone he meets, his tail never stops wagging, he is indeed very ‘Special’.

Janice