SWEP Rescue
Drummer

Drummer's is another remarkable story of survival against the odds. We brought him in after he had been hit by a speeding car. He was very lame and it looked as if he might have a broken leg. Both he and his mother, Annie, were badly malnourished and at that time his future looked bleak.

A veterinary assessment hardly made things seem any better. Although his leg was not broken, he had severe internal injuries. The impact from the car had ruptured his abdominal wall causing hernias in both his abdomen and genitals. The need for major surgery was clear, but Drummer's poor condition meant that he would not survive an immediate operation. He needed to be nursed back to better health before surgery could be considered.

It was a worrying time as Drummer gained ground only slowly. He was in pain which meant he wasn't able to gain weight and strength as quickly as we would have hoped. In the background there was always the possibility the hernias could strangulate (fatally twist) before he was well enough to withstand an anesthetic.There was another problem - the operation would cost in the region of £400 - £500! We started an appeal to raise the money, but there was no time to wait to reach our target before Drummer needed to have his 'repair work' done as a matter of urgency.
The photo on the left was taken on the afternoon before his operation. It's plain to see how thin and depressed he still was, but waiting was no longer an option. It was no small relief when we were told that the operation had been a success. He had stopped breathing for a short while during surgery, but after that had been dealt with, things went smoothly. Since he came back to us he has made a good recovery and his future now looks bright. He has done so well that he has been given the all clear to come to our Grand Parade of SWEP Rescues on August Bank Holiday Monday. We will, hopefully, be able to post some photo's of him 'on parade' on this page, and we will certainly give updates on his progress.

Update September 1st 2004

Drummer was well enough to come to the Parade as we had hoped. We were surprised and pleased to meet Alice, a young girl who, under her own steam, had organised her sisters and friends to raise £54 towards the cost of Drummer's surgery. Our thanks goes to Alice and all the other people who donated money to help him. Later that day Alice's mum and dad offered to home Drummer on our loan scheme.