The West Highland White Terrier from Rustington was born at Stellar Vets in Littlehampton last year. Her mum, Wilma, was booked in for a consultation after her owner, Karen Harper, noticed the heavily pregnant mother was suffering with a strange discharge.
The team at Stellar Vets decided to perform an emergency caesarean which was led by Dr David Cahill, who soon discovered that a dead puppy was obstructing the birth canal. However, two puppies were delivered, but they were very weak, so the nursing team promptly stepped in to care for them until Wilma recovered from the anaesthetic.
Shortly afterwards, it became apparent that Wilma wasn’t producing enough milk for the puppies, so she needed assistance nursing them. Karen worked tirelessly around the clock to handfeed the puppies every two hours, but the next one died two days later. However, Chance had a good appetite and began getting stronger by the day.
Karen explained: “When Wilma gave birth it was both a surreal and exhausting time, and to lose two puppies was heartbreaking for everyone involved, but Chance was a fighter and seemed massively determined to survive.
“It wasn’t until a week later that I finally felt confident that she was going to live, and I messaged the Stellar Vets team to give them an update on her progress because they’d all lived through this with me. I also mentioned that I didn’t yet have a name for her, and straightaway David suggested Chance, which suited her perfectly.”
Karen added: “In March we took her to Crufts because she’s very pretty and loves showing off, and we couldn’t believe it when she won first prize in the puppy category! She’s now celebrated her first birthday which we made extra special for both her and Wilma. It’s been a roller-coaster 12 months, but there’s no doubt she’s changed all our lives for the better.”
Dr David Cahill, from Stellar Vets, which is in the heart of Littlehampton at Anchor Springs, explained: “As soon as we examined Wilma it was obvious there was a serious problem and we had to act fast. We had our full team working on the surgery and had to delay several other clients’ procedures until later in the day, but without intervention Wilma could have died as well.
“When we started the procedure and found a dead puppy, it was devastating for everyone. Then things went from bad to worse when the second one died. We absolutely adore all animals and this was a major low point for our whole team.
“However, we kept in close contact with Karen through our practice messaging system, which meant we could communicate with her continually as well as receive updates and provide her with regular advice. Once it became clear that Chance would survive, it was a big win and gave us all a huge boost.
“To see her progress and the fact that she’s now won at Crufts has put the icing on her first birthday cake for all of us. She’s an extraordinary dog and although we love all our clients, there’s no doubt that Chance will always have a special place in our hearts!”