By far the worst thing that we’ve had to deal with in fostering Belle has been the gut infection she brought with her which has not only affected our own dogs but has now affected me too. Whether it’s Giardia, Salmonella, Campobylacter etc doesn’t matter anymore. I am utterly exhausted, dejected, disillusioned and finding it difficult to work which is now causing me terrible financial hardship too. The sheer strain of clearing up after not one but three dogs who have uncontrollable and dangerous diahorrea is simply soul-breaking and it’s making me feel like I cannot put my family (and that includes my dogs) through this any longer so I’ve had to make the heartbreaking decision that Belle will be the last dog we foster for the time being. We will pull Belle and everyone else through this but no more. Foster care has finally defeated me and I will now concentrate on running the rescue and my canine behaviour consultancy (which funds the rescue in so many ways…).
It’s just been a disastrous, traumatic, horrific time that I hope nobody else has to go through and the plea to the kennels where she came from is that if any other dog shows any signs of diahorrea at any time, PLEASE don’t just pass them on… It can, as in this case, have catastrophic consequences. I have taken this burden on and not passed Belle onto her new home because she will infect the existing dogs; I wish that all kennel facilities could be this responsible.
