A dog’s brave journey: Fry’s story

Fry came to our Renwick Centre thin and with unaddressed medical issues, surrendered with his brother Bender. While Fry and Bender’s previous owners clearly cared about their dogs, they lacked education about how to care for them properly and were unable to keep them at the property where they were living. As a result, the dogs had been tied up outside with no shelter, and then kept in a car.

Fry had multiple eye issues, known as entropion and “cherry eye,” and was especially thin. Our team knew he’d require special care to make a full recovery.

Once in our care, Fry had two separate eye surgeries.But as he continued to recover, the Centre team noticed he wasn’t gaining weight at the speed he needed to. Even with an increase in his food supply – he was eating six cups of kibble a day – he began losing weight, which was very concerning. At his lowest weight, he was only 21kg and his bones could be felt through his skin. The team also noticed that his faeces was pale, and that his coat was dull and greasy to the touch – and his mood had dropped, leaving him noticeably flat and lethargic. They knew there was more they needed to do.

Alongside their veterinary team, our staff realised Fry’s symptoms were indicating an issue with his pancreas, and a blood test was performed – diagnosing him with Endocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (otherwise known as EPI). As one Centre staff member put it, “cue all of us doing tons of research on this condition!” They quickly discovered that the condition has a great online support community both locally and internationally, which they found incredibly helpful as they began to figure out what balance of treatment Fry needed.

Since then,Fry has had a couple of health scares, including a bout of gastroenteritis that required admission to his vet for a few days. But eventually, the team found the treatment that worked best for him, and he started to show promising signs of improvement. With enzyme supplements and extra vitamins, Fry is finally feeling better: his coat is shiny and soft, and he is slowly gaining weight again! And though he’s still in a recovery phase, he’s ready to find his forever home.

From Animal Attendant Caitlin: “Fry is a happy guy who wags his entire body when he sees you! He's been such a trooper through his entire health journey, and we are all very fond of him – and we’re so excited he is now ready to look for a home.” We’re told that his vet would adopt him herself if she could!

“While his condition will be life-long, EPI is very manageable,” says Caitlin. “Dogs with this condition live a normal life once theirbest course of treatment is decided upon, like Fry’s has been.” His condition will require lifelong monitoring and additional costs at the vet, but the team know the right home is out there for him.

As Caitlin puts it: “We really want to boost Fry to help him find his forever home – which he so deserves, after all he’s been through.”

Are you looking for a loyal best friend with a huge heart – and the sweetest puppy dog eyes? Fry might just be your guy. Get to know him and apply to bring him home!