Another moving story from the world of Podenco Friends. Bev Farmer tells the story of Ricardo.
'21 10 2017
Ricardo arrived yesterday and we took him to our vet. The first round of blood tests that have come in are good and we wait for more detailed lab reports which will be here next week... This just could be a case of neglect and Ricardo is suffering from the effects of malnutrition. He his 30% below his normal body weight. Under his coat he is skin and bone with a number of pressure sores. His lungs and heart sound good so the laboured breathing could be due to stress or he is just exhausted and his body is depleted.
Next week we will return to our vet with him for xrays and a ultrasound just to make sure there is no other reason for him been in such a terrible condition. He has had a bath as he smelt like rancid cheese and now smells a bit sweeter. His DOB declared in his passport is 5th September 2005 which makes him 12 years old but still he should not have ended his final days in a perrera. Ricardo is a real gentleman I bet he has some stories to tell.
Update 22 10 2018.
One year ago Ricardo came into our care 12 years old and his body so battered he could barely stand.. His owner handed him in to the perrera in this condition, left there he would have died ... He has overcome so much, even cancer, and he was a true gentleman throughout, an old soul with the most generous of hearts.
Today he lives the life he should have always had with Ida Gaudenzi and her family in Italy. So often we pull these Podencos from the abyss, look at them and wonder how they are still alive but their will to survive is strong and once they get the necessary care they can make it ...
Wishing you many more years of happiness, Ricardo.'
The video of him when rescued is on this link.
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