Not A Very Special Day :o(

I don't feel very well today  :o(

I feel cold and keep trying to snuggle up to my people to get warm, but then I get all cross with being snuggled and need to go and be warm on my own. 

I have had little plays with Bran but mostly I have been barking at him because he keeps racing round and round and round and he's making my head dizzy!!

I feel so cold that I don't like being outside today so have been doing my wee-wees inside. I know that I should do them out in the grass but the wind is blowing very hard today and it is sooooooo cold out there.

I keep making this funny noise out of my mouth as well. 

Sarah is looking at me like she's a bit worried and has spoken to Auntie Fi, so I am going to see Oliver - the very special heart doctor - a bit later on today to see if I need any medicine to make me feel better.

Meantime, I'm snoozing in the sunbeam.....

Foster Nanny update: We're back from the vets with rather unsettling news. Our little Prince Hugo is even more special than we could have thought for. The fact that he is here at all seems to be some sort of miracle as his tiny little body appears to be something of a genetic disaster zone  :o(

Whilst each of his heart defects isn't that unusual in a dog, all 4 of them together is. His pale gums and tendency to be cold is linked to the fact that his heart is enlarged and causing poor circulation. He has a rather oddly protruding little bottom which seems to be another unusual thing to occur. Plus he only has one descended testicle and Oliver suspects that his immune system may be weak. As his heart is so enlarged, his other organs are being a bit squished and so we could be facing problems with almost anything. Also, as so many of these problems are congenital, at this moment in time we have absolutely no idea of the full extent of what is going on with his little body but we can't rule anything out. As he is so tiny and his future so bleak, Oliver is reluctant to mess him about with too much medication at this stage. 

Thankfully, the cough of today is not a heart failure type cough, but is most probably kennel cough. Although most dogs could fight this off without medical intervention, we've decided to take the safe route of giving Prince Hugo some antibiotics to help the infection on it's way. Fingers crossed, it does it's job and helps him to improve.

Let's not forget that the young man is also a terrier and so, despite having spent most of today mooching around feeling sorry for himself, he gave a rather huge great dane and her puppy a whole torrent of rather foul language for such a small chap in the vets' waiting room!!

7th May: A Very Special Lie-In

Today, I had a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig sleep to get over what I've been doing all week. It's been a very exciting time for a little fella like me!

I got up early to go out in the garden, then when I came back in, I fell fast asleep again snuggled under the duvet on the sofa with Sarah! When Sophie came in and woke us up, it was half past twelve!

After I'd been fed, I felt awake enough to have a little play with my big brother.

Later on, I got cuddles with Grumpy because he came in to take Sarah out to collect lots and lots of food that had been donated by lots of lovely people via NASSL. This food goes over to Wales to help feed the rescue dogs. Sadly, none of it is for a very handsome puppy :o(

Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th May: A Very Special Trip

5th of May

I went on ANOTHER very big trip today!

We went to Sarah and Sophie's friends' house. It was at the end of a very long, long road. When we went inside there were 2 other dogs! Sarah told me that they were from the Barn as well and called Charlie and Ricky.

Then, somebody very furry came downstairs and Sophie told me it was Jacob, her brother who had been staying at their house. Then everyone gave me big hugs which was exciting. Bran was so excited that he did a big wee on the floor and ended up being very embarrassed.

Later on, I got put in this OTHER backpack that was a special doggy one. Sarah and Sophie and Sarah's friend and Bran and me went on a big walk to the shops and when we got back everyone was very tired.

After I had had my tea, we went to another lady's house! When we got there, even MORE people were making a fuss of me. Jacob and his friend Tom were making very strange noises out of big black boxes and things in their hands that Sophie told me are called guitars.

There were very special sleeping arrangements when we got back to Sarah's friend's (I found out she's called Nina) house, because I was sleeping in my Travelling House, while Sarah and Sophie were sleeping on sofas!

6th of May

This morning I started the day being very cold, so I snuggled up on Sarah's lap under the duvet until I got all warm again.

Sophie stayed asleep for a long time after I woke up and did snuggling, but when she did wake up she had her breakfast. She had yummy smelling chocolate stuff and I reallllllllllllllllllllllllllly wanted to try it but she wouldn't let me  :o(

Instead I tried to climb Bedding Mountain!

After she'd finished her breakfast, Sophie played tug with me with my blue duck. I make lots of very big dog growly noises when we play tug and it makes everybody laugh. I don't know why they laugh - they are meant to be scared!!

When Jacob came downstairs, I gave him very special Prince Hugo morning greetings!

And then I sat on the sofa with Nina and Jacob and Bran, but Nina had yummy smelling coffee and she wouldn't share it either! It's just not fair being a little dog, y'know  :o(

When the very important job of cuddling me was finished, everybody got busy moving things around and putting things in bags and then putting things in the car. I said "bye bye" to Nina and Tom and we got in the car to come home and Jacob came with us!

I was very happy to be home with my proper bed and toys.

Sarah had some phone chats with Auntie Fi today about some of my friends at the Barn who haven't been as lucky as me and have not got real homes of their own yet. 

My mate Norbert is a greyhound puppy and he has something called persistent right aortic arch and this means that he has to have all his food mushed up and he eats it with his front feet up on the worktop! He looks very silly but it means that his food all goes down properly and he does not get sick. 

My other friend Becky is a very beautiful greyhound girl. When she was younger, Becky broke her leg and whoever was supposed to be looking after her at the time did not get it mended. This means that her leg is still very wonky but it does not stop her running around like a loon!

Today, Auntie Fi took them to see a special vet lady called Diane who is going to see if she can give them operations and make them all better so that nice people will want to take them home with them and love them forever.

Sadly, Auntie Fi also told Sarah that a very special old man dog who lived at the Barn went to live at a very special place called Rainbow Bridge today. His name was Jazz and he was a very handsome Rhodesian Ridgeback. Jazz's eyes stopped working a long time ago, but he had lots of very special adventures with Auntie Fi even though he could not see. The Barn will be a very sad place without him  :o(

Monday 4th May: A Very Special Game

Today the postman brought a very special surprise for me and Bran! It was a great big toy that is even bigger than me!

We were playing tug, but Bran was being naughty and kept cheating! Because he is so big, he kept pulling me around the room. But I got my revenge by using how small I am to weave between his legs! I finally got the toy and I tried to get up onto the sofa to hide it but I couldn't because the toy is so big. Perhaps when I have finished growing and am as big as Bran I will be able to get the big toy onto the sofa without having to enlist the help of Sophie.

Because I couldn't get onto the sofa I got very cross and decided to try and kill the toy so that Bran couldn't play with it any more!

Sunday 3rd May: Very Special Food

At last! A not very exciting day!

Sophie and Sarah went out for a little bit today. I decided that I was a very tired boy and stayed home with the big dogs to look after the house. As a special treat for being so good, I got a yummy thing called a Kong. It is a little red thing that looks like a toy but smells DIVINE! I spent lots and lots and lots of time licking the yummy food out of it and by the time I was finished, Sophie and Sarah were back!

The only exciting thing that did happen today was that I managed to jump high enough to get onto the sofa all by myself!

I did also have a loooovely big cuddle with my new big brother, Bran.

Saturday 2nd May: A Very Special Day Out

After the excitement of the last few days I didn't think that anything more exciting could happen, but I was wrong! Today I went for a ride in Nanny's car with Nanny and Sophie and Sarah and the other girl (I think her name is Georgie). It was very strange because we stopped and only Sarah got out! Sophie told me that she was going to check a house for a lady who wanted to adopt a dog from the Oldies Club. While Sarah was gone, we went to visit some shops (and I was being held in a very weird thing. Sophie tells me it's called a backpack. It felt a bit weird but was dead comfy). A lot of people came over to me and stroked me and said I was very pretty.

We went to pick up Sarah and we went to walk along a thing called a beach! There was lots and lots of water and the air smelled all salty. Then we sat down and had some drinks (I got my lunch!!) and then we went to get some chips. I didn't know what "chips" were but Sophie sneaked me one under the table and now I know what chips are. DELICIOUS!

We walked back to the car and went to visit even MORE shops, where MORE people told me I was very cute and I only bit a couple of fingers so Nanny bought me a cool new toy.

Friday 1st May: A Very Special Day

Guess what happened first thing this morning? I did not get any breakfast!! I didn't like that one bit, but I guess being taken for another adventure made up for it a bit. We went back to that place that smelled of dogs and other animals and this time I got to sit on Sophie's lap (Sophie is the name of the lovely girl, I found out). We went into another room and met a different man this time and he picked me up for a cuddle (good news!), but then Auntie Fi and Sophie and Sophie's mum left me with the man (bad news!). The man was very nice and he put me in a very comfy kennel in a room where there were lots of kennels full of cats!

The rest of my time at this special place is a bit of a blur because I seem to have been quite sleepy and napped a lot through the day. When I was feeling more awake I found that a bit of fur had been shaved off of my leg! But that wasn't too bad because then they gave me some food!

Eventually, a nice lady took me out of the kennel into the place that smelled of other dogs and there was Auntie Fi and Sophie's mum waiting to give me cuddles! They looked a bit sad but I don't know why so I just gave them big kisses and made them smile (I was still happy I had been fed!).

We went in the car to Nanny's house again and this time Sophie and another little girl were there.

Sophie gave me some extra special big cuddles and told me something very exciting - I am going to live with her forever and ever and ever!!! She also told me that I am not going to be "just" Hugo any more. Because I am going to be her very special boy, my full title will now be Prince Hugo Roger Hendy of Chook Towers. Isn't that a fine name?

Sophie and the girl were staying with Nanny, so Auntie Fi and the lady (I have found out that her name is Sarah) took me back to the house, my new home!

Even though I'd had a very exciting and tiring new day, I found the energy to play with Orca and the other big brown dog (Bran) for a while before snuggling up for cuddles and going to sleep. Then Auntie Fi and Orca and Patch got in the van and went back to tell my granny Rosie that I had found a new home.

Thursday 30th April: A Very Special Visit

Hello, Hugo here.

This morning, I had to tell my granny Rosie that I was going to go for a ride in Auntie Fi's van, with my friends Orca and Patch, and it was going to be an adventure. We were in the van for a very long time before it stopped. When Auntie Fi let me out of my Travelling House, I was in a new place, where there was a big brown dog like Orca, and a big white dog in a very comfy looking giant crate. There was also a very lovely girl with a very comfy lap!

Being a very brave boy, I spent the afternoon playing wrestling and barking and hiding games with the big brown dogs.

And then, Auntie Fi and another lady (I think she was the lovely girl's mum) took me for a ride in a car. Another adventure! This time when we got out of the car we were at a place that smelled of lots of other dogs and animals. I cuddled up and had a sleep on Auntie Fi's lap for a little while and then we went into another room where I met a very nice man called Oliver. He put a very cold thing on my belly and listened to my heart. He told Auntie Fi and the lady that he needed me to come back in so that he could take photographs of my insides (gross, I know!).

We went back into the car and drove to ANOTHER new place!!! This time, I met some very special people called Nanny and Grumpy. Grumpy gave me lots and lots of cuddles and Nanny gave me lots and lots of kisses while Auntie Fi and the lady had drinks.

We went back to the lovely girl's house where I played with the big brown dogs again and had my tea, and then Auntie Fi put me to bed where I fell fast asleep after my very exciting day.

Introducing Prince Hugo Roger Hendy of Chook Towers

Prince Hugo is a very special jack russell terrier puppy. 

He was handed in to Lizzie's Barn Sanctuary along with his grandmother - 8 year old Rosie - because their "mum" was moving into accommodation that would not allow dogs. 

Hugo was born on Christmas Eve 2008, but weighs just 1.88 kgs and is the size of a 6/8 week jack russell pup. As with all dogs who arrive at the Barn, Fionna took them for a vet check. During the course of the check, her vet noted that Hugo had a very loud heart murmur. He admitted that he was not a heart specialist and recommended that Hugo be examined further for the cause of the heart murmur to be diagnosed and treated. Fionna decided that the best place to do this would be our usual vets - Highcroft Vets - as they have been fantastic with our other dogs - Flora and Bran - and have helped with other Barn dogs, as well as having a wonderful cardiologist on site. 

And so, Fionna arrived last Thursday with Hugo in his carrier, Orca the Porker and Patch for a short visit. Hugo went along to visit the cardiologist who very quickly realised that further tests and examinations were going to be needed. The following day was his day off, but he offered to come in for the morning just so that Hugo could be scanned and x-rayed before Fionna needed to return to South Wales with him. A pulmonic stenosis - which could be treated with surgery - or an aortic stenosis - which could be treated with medication - were the most likely candidates for Hugo's noisy heart.

Hugo spent the rest of Thursday evening behaving much like every other jack russell puppy: yapping wildly, tripping up every person within stepping distance and winding up the much larger chocolate labrador pups! Thankfully, he slept soundly through the night.

Friday morning arrived and Hugo objected to not having breakfast before being whisked out of the door on an adventure into the unknown. We handed him into the care of Highcroft and left.

At 1 o'clock the phone call came that changed everything.

Oliver - the cardiologist - told us that Hugo has both a pulmonic stenosis AND an aortic stenosis. This means that valves on both sides of his heart have restricted openings for whatever reason. As well as this devastating news, we were told that Hugo has increased mitral valve regurgitation and hypertrophy - which means that the heart muscle has thickened and distorted the mitral valve, which in turn means that the valve cannot close properly and so some blood leaks back into the left atrium when the left ventricle contracts - and tricuspid valve dysplasia - which means that the valve has not come away from the right ventricle wall as it should have done during embryonic development and so the valve remains open allowing blood to leak back into the right atrium when the right ventricle contracts. All of these defects are congenital and have been present since birth, which explains why Hugo is such a tiny little boy. As the defects are so severe, neither surgery nor medication will make much difference at this point. 

Sadly, Oliver also told us that he expects Hugo to live only for another 6 months  :o(

At this point, my 10 year old daughter, Sophie, stepped up to the plate. In the time that Hugo had already been with us during Fionna's visit, he had made it quite clear that Sophie was his favourite person and Sophie had thoroughly enjoyed lavishing him with the love and cuddles he demanded. Fionna made it clear that Hugo was going to need to have 15 years worth of love and life crammed into the space of 6 months and would need somebody that would bond tightly enough with him that his health could be carefully monitored in case of any deterioration. 

Sophie is a dog lover and seems to have a special affinity with dogs. Fionna is her idol. She has helped me to care for our dogs for years and has also helped me with our foster dogs that we've had over time, so she barely hesitated in offering to make Hugo her responsibility.

And so Hugo became Prince Roger Hugo Hendy of Chook Towers. A mighty title for a tiny dog full of might and fight.

From here on in, the responsibility of this blog will fall to Sophie and Prince Hugo (with some assistance if needed!) and they will share the memories that they make in Hugo's time with us. Also to be shared, will be the fundraising efforts that Sophie plans to put in place to help with the costs of Prince Hugo's care or for other dogs needing medical assistance during their stay at Lizzie's Barn.

To say that I am proud of my daughter would be a massive understatement, but Prince Hugo is a very special puppy and he needed a very special person to step up for him. Fortunately for him, my very special Sophie was on hand.