A few months ago, we took in a very elderly ShihTzu we lovingly named Grumpy Grizelda.

Another charity asked Gables for help as this poor dog had been seized from her owner on welfare grounds and taken to a veterinary surgery. She was blind and could hardly walk as her coat was so matted and tightly wrapped around one of her legs, causing huge injury, swelling and pain. She was covered in urine and faeces and her nails were so overgrown they were cutting into her feet.

After veterinary examination it was also established that she had end stage cataracts, skin missing from her leg, purulent discharge from her feet around her infected nails and she was refusing to eat. She was very aggressive at this point due to the sheer trauma she had been through and she was in constant pain caused by such terrible neglect.

Initially the vets strongly recommended euthanasia on welfare grounds as they believed she would be even more stressed going to a rehoming centre. That’s when we were contacted as we specialise in caring for and rehabilitating neglected and abused animals. Our staff are also brilliant at finding wonderful homes for elderly animals.

As soon as she arrived at Gables it was apparent that Grizelda needed urgent veterinary wound treatment, so our vets Filham Park, took on the challenge of cleaning and redressing the terrible wound on her leg every few days. She was given antibiotics, eye drops and two types of pain relief.

She was set up in the supervisors office so she had someone with her all day. We then started the rehabilitation process and worked on training her to walk outside on a lead to the grass area to go to the toilet. She really did not want to be touched or picked up at all, so the supervisors worked on gaining her trust over time. She was treated like a Queen and given freshly cooked chicken every day.

Many people wrongly assume that elderly or aggressive animals needing extensive veterinary treatment will be euthanised at rescue centres, but this couldn’t be further from the truth at Gables. Grizelda showed us that she wanted a chance to live out her retirement pain free and happy, so we were happy to give her that opportunity. We love finding homes for elderly animals as it is so rewarding and makes our very difficult job so worthwhile.

It is estimated it will cost Gables £2,000 for all the treatment and medication that Grumpy Grizelda has already had and will need for the rest of her life, as well as basic care such as neutering, flea and worm treatment and vaccinations.

The wonderful news is that Grizelda’s skin wounds have healed after all the intensive treatment and she has been adopted by one of our dedicated volunteers – who already has a very similar blind ShihTzu called Gremlin. They look so identical, it is difficult to tell them apart!