Written by Imogen Tarita, Volunteer, Cluny Animal Trust
Professional photography by @Strike a Pose Photo/Video
Since the beginning of 2021, some weird cases have come our way, and this one is no exception! On the 9th of March 2021, while doing a dip day in Clarens, three-month-old Rico was brought to us by “his owners” to be euthanised.
He had a severe burn wound on his head and surrounding areas. Even though we had the opportunity to discuss what had happened with his owners, we couldn’t get to the truth of his story… but Dr Katherine from the Cluny team thought it was a severe burn from some sort of hot liquid. The long and short of it was that we knew right away that euthanasia was not an option because we could treat his burns and heal him. So, we had him signed over to us.
His prognosis was good, but initially, we thought the healing would take quite some time. The first couple of pictures show the extent of the burn. The one where he’s bright pink is after he was handed over. We sedated him and removed all the dead skin, and then we treated him with antibiotics for potential infection, painkillers and F10 germicidal wound spray. The next day after the treatment, he was already looking better. Dr Katherine designed a strict treatment plan, and he was then discharged from our clinic to go home with Chantel van den Berg from the Cluny team to get the full-time rehabilitative care he needed.
Every couple of days, Rico needed to have a special calming bath to treat his wounds and the topical wound medication reapplied. He quickly became known as the “Pink Pup” in Clarens because the wound treatment is coloured bright pink, and you just couldn’t miss him.
Rico required constant supervision because he was quite itchy, which is part of the healing process, and as some of his wounds were still quite raw, we had to make sure that he didn’t scratch. This was definitely easier said than done, but Chantel kept an eagle eye on him at all times.
Only a week after the treatment, we noticed that he was healing much faster than expected. We all breathed a huge collective sigh of relief as this meant that we didn’t need to repeat the anaesthetic. This would’ve been needed to remove more necrotic debris, but the F10 was working so well that there was no need to do that. Rico was still on pain medication and antibiotics, although we’d already begun weaning him off the pain meds.
He was also blossoming: he loved running around and was such a happy little soul and, of course, like all puppies, he was curious, playful and goofy.
The one thing that did cause us all worry was hair growth – which is always hard to gauge. Chantel shared photos of his hair growth to our WhatsApp group daily. We were all thrilled when his hair started to grow back; granted, it was patchy, but it was growing!
From our very first post, we started looking for a forever family for Rico and were inundated with requests to adopt him. One of our requirements for adoption is that, if you have other animals in your home, we require their full vaccination and sterilisation records. We are, after all, a veterinary welfare and for us, responsible pet ownership is about vaccinating and sterilising your animals. You’ll be amazed at the number of pet owners who don’t vaccinate and sterilise their animals… this was why many of the potential homes for Rico were turned down.
But thankfully, one of our posts caught the attention of his new adoptive mom. We’d shared the post on one of the puppy rehoming groups and were delighted to receive Rowann’s call because, right from the outset, she seemed perfect! So, the adoption application was filled in and the home check was scheduled. And, of course, she passed with flying colours!
Every single post that we did about Rico went off the charts… shared, liked and viewed thousands of times. As a bunch of vets and AWAs (animal welfare assistants), we began to think that it was because of all the good vibes being sent our way that Rico was doing so well!
Initially, we thought that he’d be with us for months, but there we were just six weeks later, and his hair was growing nicely, his burn wounds were on their way to being 100% healed, his vaccination regime was almost complete, and Dr Katherine had scheduled his sterilisation, plus we’d found the most amazing home for him… just good karma all around.
When Rico came to us the best way to describe his state would be “damaged and broken”. He was such a sorry sight and his eyes screamed for us to help him. They brought him to us to euthanise, they’d decided to end his life because he wasn’t perfect any longer… but as veterinary professionals, we couldn’t do it… because we knew we could heal him, and that’s exactly what we did.
Rico’s story really touched us all. We made a lot of new connections because of him and he’ll always be one of the Cluny family… that’s just how it works.
But the reality is that we can’t keep them all – sometimes, we wish that we could! Then, that day came… the day his new mom drove for three hours to Clarens from Johannesburg to meet Chantel and to pick Rico up, and we had to say goodbye.
People often ask us how we can say goodbye after all we’ve invested in an animal. While we always say goodbye with a tear in our eye and a lump in our throat, goodbye is always the goal… it’s how we measure that we’ve done a good job. In Rico’s case, we know we’ve succeeded, and then some more!
Rico’s been renamed Rosco, and he’s settled into his new family and home perfectly. He’s happy and so are we!
Rowann Miller, Rosco’s new owner, shares…
I’d been looking for several months for a rescue dog that would grow big enough to be able to play with Charlie, my Standard Poodle. The other dogs in the pack include Cooper, a Sheltie and Top Dogs therapy dog, and Leo, the Pekinese and self-proclaimed alpha. Also on site are a Toy Poodle puppy, a Pomeranian and a Golden Retriever.
While scrolling through numerous Facebook posts I came across the horrific pictures of Rico, when he was first rescued, and then of him with his hair growing back. The post noted that a forever home was needed. My heart went out to this poor dog. What a horrible way to start life. I was initially worried that he’d hold his poor treatment against all humans, but that little face told another story.
My mind went to the possibility of him becoming a therapy dog alongside Cooper, as well as a playmate for Charlie. I quickly sent a note expressing my interest in Rico to Chantel. I was asked to complete forms and submit the vaccination records of all my dogs, as well as proof that all the dogs on site had been neutered. This proved a little difficult as Leo, my Pekinese, is also a rescue and it took a little while to get the confirmation from the shelter. A surprise visit from the SPCA to do a site inspection led me to hope that my application had been successful. I was overjoyed when Chantel told me my home had been chosen.
It was only then that I realised Rico was in Clarens. I wanted to meet the woman who’d held Rico’s paw through his treatment, so a friend and I drove through to meet her and to pick up Rico, whom I decided to call Rosco. My thanks to the Cluny team for saving and treating my Rosco and helping him to trust humans.
He was amazing in the car on the way home and has fitted into the pack with only a few grumbles, mostly from Leo. He loves exploring the plot and enjoys his walks on the bridle paths and in the local bush area in Helderfontein. The lawn looks like a children’s toy area as it’s scattered with the presents he’s received from family and friends.
He’s been enrolled in a puppy socialisation and training course, but he already surprises me daily with how quickly he learns new instructions.
Rosco has found his special place in my heart and I think I have in his as he often lies and stares at me with his beautiful puppy-dog eyes while snuggling up next to me on my bed.
