Senior Pet Project: Joey and Stanley

Bonded buddies Joey and Stanley are a pair of senior gentlemen who came into Sydney Dogs & Cats Homes as lost dogs in desperate need of a fresh start. The two Maltese x Shih Tzus were very dishevelled with dirty, unkempt coats and troubling signs of serious health concerns.

It was clear Joey and Stanley had lived many years together and had much more in common than their curly, matted fur. Upon a vet check, it was discovered their health had been neglected for some time. They both had major dental disease, retained testicles and an umbilical hernia. All three of these issues were causing discomfort and can severely impact quality of life if left untreated, so a plan for treatment was devised and the dogs were sent into foster care with a trusted staff member.

Joey and Stanley received a clip and clean which revived their tired coats instantly and cleared the fur from their eyes. They are receiving pain relief medication and have been booked for dental surgery to scale, polish and extract some of their teeth. The duo will also have a desexing procedure, during which our vets will repair their hernias and resolve their retained testicles. This will prevent the contents of the abdomen from herniating and negate the risk of testicular cancer.

Unfortunately for Joey, his upcoming surgery won’t be the end of his veterinary care. Joey has a striking cloudy film over his eyes – a sign of cataracts and vision loss. In some cases, cataracts can lead to blindness, so it’s vital Joey gets the specialist support he needs. Joey is scheduled to see an ophthalmologist by the end of the year to see if surgery is the correct option to repair the cataracts in his eyes. If the surgery is right for him, Joey will ‘look forward’ to bumping into objects way less in future.

After an initial examination of Joey’s eyes, our vets put a stethoscope to Joey’s heart and were disappointed to hear a whooshing sound in between heartbeats – a heart murmur. Joey was booked in for blood tests and an echocardiogram to diagnose the reason for his heart murmur. The tests revealed he has Stage B1 Myxomatous Mitral Valve Degeneration. This is the early stage of heart disease, where a murmur is heard but there are no visible signs of heart failure or heart enlargement. Further intervention is not required at this stage and it won’t impact his quality of life, however if his condition does progress, therapy will be needed to delay the onset of congestive heart failure.

With their surgeries on the horizon, Joey and Stanley are looking forward to a comfortable future where they can eat, groom and move around without discomfort. They’re best buds, so it’s important they find a home together, with a family that will commit to giving them the health care they need.

If you can give Joey and Stanley the retirement they deserve where they can live a life of leisure, sunbathing and rolling around in the grass, then apply for these two senior boys today: https://sydneydogsandcatshome.org/animal/joey-and-stanley/

Published 14 December