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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Paige Freshwater

Adorable puppy can't be adopted until he undergoes surgery to fix birth defect

Despite only being eight-weeks-old, Little Phil has already made a massive impact on those around him.

The poor pooch was born with a cleft palate leaving him unable to feed without human assistance.

A cleft palate, which has been described as an opening or split in the roof of the mouth, is often seen as a 'death sentence' for dogs.

It occurs when the tissue doesn't fuse together during development in the womb - but can be fixed when a puppy reaches a certain age.

Charity co-founder Natalie Batchelor said: "Had it not been for Frenchie and Friends Foundation, Little Phil would have been put to sleep.

"We were contacted by a vet practice after a little three and a half week old puppy was brought in by his current owners as they were unable to continue with his care.

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He can undergo surgery once he reached at least six-months-old (Frenchie & Friends Foundation)

"Little Phil had a cleft palate and was being tube fed every two hours around the clock."

Knowing Little Phil, also known as Little P, would need specialist care until he reaches about six-months-old, the team placed him in a foster home.

She added: "Little Phil’s fantastic foster mummy is Kellie who is also a volunteer of the charity works at Aspen vets and between Kellie and her colleagues Little P is given the five star VIP treatment.

"The team at Aspen vets describe him as sassy, fearless, charismatic, playful and hungry.

"He stays with Kellie most nights but has sleepovers with the other various nursing staff as his feeding routine was very strict.

"During the day he goes to work with Kellie and he comforts all sorts of pets going in for routine and emergency operations and has his very own kennel in the kennel room.

He has been given around the clock care (Frenchie & Friends Foundation)

"At lunch times he keeps all the staff happy with cuddles.

"Now eight-weeks-old he is tube fed morning and evening with milk and has food during the day, every few hours.

"The team mix up special puppy food with gelatine so it does not break up and obstruct his wind pipe so the care and dedication that has gone into this is amazing."

The French bulldog is one of the youngest dogs to have been taken in by Frenchies and Friends Foundation, who have been overwhelmed with his progress.

"He has found his bark of recent and enjoys playing with Kellies other dogs," she said.

"He met a cat at the vets the other day and it had the cheek to hiss at him - how rude.

"Little P has started his vaccinations now and went out for his first walkies. He was carried out on his first walk as he doesn’t like the feeling of grass."

Wanting to give Little Phil the life he deserves, the team are striving to raise between £3,500 to £4,000 to cover his future surgery.

While he is not currently available for adoption, he will be searching for a home once his cleft palate has been fixed.

Natalie said: "At this current time Frenchie & friends have roughly 12 to 14 dogs waiting to come in but they are running very short on homes. We are looking for people that can foster and people that can adopt."

To donate towards Little Phil's surgery, visit their website. You can also apply to be a foster carer or adopt here.

Do you have a dog story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.

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