Lucozade to the rescue for poorly pooch
Lucozade is known as an energy boosting drink but it proved the kiss of life for a severely ill German shepherd dog, who has found a home in Long Buckby.
Lucas – named after the soft drink which saved his life – now lives with dog fosterer Pam Williams, and two other German shepherd dogs in the aptly named Lucas Road in Long Buckby.
He is still recovering from severe mange, a contagious skin disease caused by parasitic mites.
But the canine, thought to be aged around 17-months-old, nearly did not make it to his new home.
Lucas was saved by Sussex German Shepherd Rescue after being found in Ireland in May last year.
Ronnie Richardson, owner of the organisation, said: "A lady called one of the rescuers we work with over there and said she had found this horrible thing in her shed.
"No one could tell what he was, his face was swollen and he had so much hair missing. He was on death's door when the rescuer found him.
"He was able to recover from severe dehydration using a bottle of Lucozade, earning him the name Lucas, and now he's living in Lucas Road, so it's all fallen into place for him."
Although it is almost a year since Lucas was taken to Miss Williams's home, it has been a difficult recovery for the canine, who was last year voted recovery dog of the year by the German shepherd community.
Miss Williams, who has fostered around 22 dogs in seven years, said it was the worst case she had ever seen: "He has been to the vets over 35 times. I have had to spend a lot of money on vets who specialise in skin disorders and he is still under a dermatologist, but he has come on in leaps and bounds.
"We think he got mange from his mother when he was born and because he was abandoned, and no one did anything to treat him, it got so bad. They think he must have been deaf at one point because the mites were going inside his ears. It must have been unbearable for him."
Miss Williams has recently given up dog fostering but is unwilling to part with Lucas. She said: "I knew when I saw him he was going to be a long-term thing.
"He is a great dog and how anyone could have been so cruel to him is beyond me."
For more information, visit: www.sussexgermanshepherdrescue.co.uk
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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