When 4 year old Ella went to live with her new family she had been ‘retired’ from breeding. There was no expectation from her new family that there would be any issues with Ella’s health, or behaviour as they rehomed her direct from the breeder and nothing untoward was spoken about.

Shortly afterwards, during Ella’s spay operation a serious complication was discovered. Her bladder was full of struvite stones. When they were removed, her vet said they were the largest they’d seen and it was clear that Ella would have been in a lot of pain. The situation would have been catastrophic if swift veterinary treatment had not been given. Unfortunately, Ella’s insurance would not cover what turned out to be an expensive and life saving intervention. A Schnauzerfest Grant assisted Ella’s family with the unexpected costs.

Ella will need to be on a low phospherous/purine diet to try and slow down any growth of struvite stones in her bladder in future.

Ella’s Xray and bladder stones

Ella has been through an awful lot in the short time that she has been with her new family and understandably this has affected how she has settled. However, some of the issues she is working through go beyond the acute nature of her bladder surgery and are akin to many behaviours seen in dogs from commercial breeding lives. She is wary of most people and has no interest in playing, either with toys, or Otto, her canine family member, although this may change as she gains confidence and full health. The good news for her is that she is very well loved and her family is getting help and advice from professionals to ensure Ella’s happiest future as a much loved member of the family.

UPDATE

After a few weeks of recovery and settling, Ella is begining to come out of her shell. She’s starting to play with toys and Otto. Her family are engaging a professional behaviorist to help manage some of Ella’s issues outside the home. The future for Ella is certainly bright.