You may recall Romeo the emaciated 13-year-old who was left at the pound because he was ‘too old’.
His adoption parents have provided an update to share with you all. Just look at him now, he’s a completely different boy, happy healthy and loved dearly. We are so very grateful to his forever parents for their loving care of him and to his supporters for their kind donations to help with his medical journey.
Well – we have had sweet “Ro” since February, and after a bit of a medical journey he has done a total 180, he is the best boy and quite the opposite – he is so full of life 
We love Ro sooo much and can’t thank HFH enough for supporting him!
For those wondering about Ro’s medical story:
Prior to receiving Ro, HFH was aware Romeo was severely underweight and that he urgently needed some teeth extracted, but little else was known about his health.
When we received Ro he weighed just over 13kgs, was covered nose to tail in flea-dirt, and would flop down to rest after a minute of running around. Vets found Ro was severely anaemic (considered likely non-regenerative at the time) and the vets were unsure if this would be curable; further diagnostics would be invasive and involved drilling into bone so the vets suggested we wait and see for a short amount of time.
Ro’s severe anaemia also meant he couldn’t have his dental surgery but it was obvious his teeth were giving him grief as he’d paw at his mouth after meals and refuse food large enough that he had to chew.
Keeping an eye on the anaemia with bloods taken every few weeks, progress was slow, so further testing was done and it was found Ro had a thickened stomach wall likely from poor diet which was impacting his nutrient absorption.
With a range of meds, specific diet, and many vet check-ups, slow progress was made and we were thrilled that his anaemia was no longer considered non-regenerative (instead was just taking an unusually long time to improve). After 3 months the vets finally gave the OK for Ro to have his dental surgery. Ro had 5 very diseased teeth removed and recovered well, he now shows no discomfort with eating and chewing! Even better, since Ro’s anaemia has continued to improve he has SO much more energy and zest for life, he has become such a happy boy.
Ro loves to come with us on adventures (Bunnings is his fave!) and is the most chilled boy when exploring new places.
He is incredibly smart and loves to learn new things, even at his age has learnt heaps of tricks to keep his brain busy. We took a chance on adopting a senior and I urge everyone to consider it – think, an older dog who is just sooo happy with a nice warm bed, and even better, no toilet training! 
plus the knowledge that you’re giving them a great life after they’ve experienced such heartbreak, it is so rewarding.
We adore Ro and are so glad that we can offer him a loving retirement home, he deserves it so very much. Thank you to HFH for whisking Ro out of the pound and for assisting with his medical support, and thank you to those who donate to HFH and make rescues like this possible too. We are soooo incredibly grateful – and if Ro could talk, we’re sure he’d tell you all how thankful he is too!
