"Will To Live"
Willie
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Well what can we say about Willie other than he has come a long way
His incredible will to live has amazed so many people.
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Willie was born with a severe cleft palate which is open right from the front completely to the back.
His whole top of his mouth is wide open where you can see the little cavities to his nasal passages.
He had to be fed every two hours morning, noon and night by inserting a tube down his throat so he could be fed because he did not have the sucking reflex to nurse from his Mom.
He has two extra teeth that are going to be removed when he is neutered and he also has an overbite of his lower teeth, his lower jaw protrudes further than his upper.
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When Willie came to us at 6 months old he was 18lbs and 17 inches tall, which was absolutely no fault of this fabulous Breeder.
Willies Breeder/Mom had to keep his weight down in hopes that his broken leg would heal properly and with his weight he kept breaking the splint to be replaced over and over just by being his rambunctious self...
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Caring for Willies is quite an experience and one none of us would trade for the world.
Whatever it takes to care for this determined young man will be done.
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Willies food and water bowls have to be raised to a height as high as his back or even a little higher so he has ease of eating and drinking without choking or aspirating water or food into his lungs.
His food has to be of large size kibble style with just a little touch of water to make it slippery so he can just swallow instead of chewing and getting it stuck in his palate.
He eats three times a day so that there is not a lot of food at one time that may get packed in his wide open palete.
Upon finishing his meals his mouth must be checked and completely cleaned out so that nothing will slip through his nasal passages and into his lungs, if anything gets caught and we can't get it out we have to close his mouth and gently blow through his nose for it to un- pack the palate, being careful not to blow to hard and shoot it into his lungs by mistake.
Everything that gets caught in his palate has to be removed with hemostats and you have to be very careful not to hurt him or rupture his membrane to the nasal passages.
It is a difficult chore, but one that must be done constantly for life.
Willies has become such a great boy that he jumps up on the couch right after eating for us to take care of his mouth...he sure has learned and he has come to realize that there may be some food stuck in his palate and when we get it out he gets to have it and we place it at the back of his throat for easier swallowing and not packing it again...I think he thinks it is treats...LOL
Also beyond his three times a day palate cleaning we must constantly monitor his mouth and remove mucus on a daily basis which if left could cause a sinus infection.
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To top all this off poor Willie when he was a young pup he fell in the Vet's office and broke three bones in his leg.
His leg was repaired but with his rambunctious self he ended up breaking the splint time and time again.
Boy this young man has had a heck of a time.
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The one thing that keeps our Sweet William going is his strong
"Will To Live"
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Willie has amazed Veterinarians and Specialist as to his unusual palate, but Willie is the most wonderful boy that we are proud to call a part of our family.
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Willie is now 12 months old and he is a Handsome Young Lad.
He is now I am proud to say healed from his broken bones, gained many pounds and now weighs 38lbs and he is now 20 inches tall.
"Yes Willie Is A Sheltie"
He is a wonderfully gorgeous boy even though he does not fit the standard of a Sheltie.
The two things this boy has is Love and Affection, so in our eyes he is perfect in every way.
Willies sister is a precious little girl with somewhat the same colorings as him and she is 13 3/4 inches tall and his Mom is a beautiful lady who is 14 inches.
Our Willies is just one of those Shelties that are unique..:)
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We have to say a very special thank you to a wonderful Breeder, a Lady who let Willie live to be who he is today even though the odds were stacked against him.
Thank You
"H"
