Today, we would like you all to officially meet Stanley! One of our sweetest old men here in Sanctuary is our man Stan; he arrived at Paws Give Me Purpose in pretty rough shape at the end of September, and we have been working non stop with our Veterinary team to get him feeling his best.
Stanley is approximately 12 years old and was originally found as a stray and brought to a shelter. He has been suffering with serious ear infections, and even though he is completely blind, he suffers from double eye infections as well. Additionally, Stan has officially been diagnosed with canine vestibular disease, severe grade 4 periodontal disease, and because Stanley is unable to close his eyelids his eyes also get extremely dry.
We made sure that Stanley received the medical care he needed and deserved and is most definitely feeling much better. We can only imagine how his head must have been feeling with all these issues going on at once, and thankfully the infections are clearing up nicely and Stanley is much more comfortable and relaxed.
He is eating well and taking all his medications like a champ. He is very tolerant of having his ears and eyes cleaned and medicated daily. He also enjoys warm bubble baths and being tucked in at night. And although there is no cure for his circling and head tilt behaviors, being blind is actually a benefit in Stanley’s case. Our Veterinary team explained that lack of being visual actually helps Stanley; he does not get dizzy or nauseous from his episodes. We have also been successful at redirecting his circling by interrupting and relocating him to a nice cozy bed before it gets out of control.
Is Stanley a lot of work? Absolutely. But his life matters! After being let down and mistreated by humans then tossed away, Stan is just beginning to heal mentally, physically and spiritually.
We know that we cannot erase his past, but are doing everything in our power to make things better for him – and for no matter how long he is with us, he is learning what it is truly like to be loved.
This is what we do here at Paws Give Me Purpose.
