A six-week-old toy poodle named Booty, born with a rare condition where the anus is missing or blocked, has been rescued by a Perth animal rescue group. The puppy was surrendered by a backyard breeder on Sunday to Murdoch's Animal Hospital, where staff contacted Moon's Mission founder Kate Doyle for help.
Second Puppy with Same Condition
Booty's case comes exactly one year after Tooshie, a cavoodle with the same condition, captured the hearts of Perth pet lovers. Tooshie underwent a lengthy medical journey including enemas twice a day for 270 days and five surgeries. Ms Doyle initially hesitated to take on another similar case but ultimately decided to help.
"The chances of this happening twice are pretty rare... but it did, so I made the call to help her," she told PerthNow.
Medical Diagnosis and Treatment
Veterinarians diagnosed Booty with atresia ani and a rectovaginal fistula, a tunnel causing feces to pass through her vulva. On Tuesday, she underwent surgery with specialist Dr Taka Sugiyama at Cedar Mountain Vet Referral to create a functional anus. Ms Doyle noted that Booty will likely need multiple surgeries and ongoing care.
Community Support
A GoFundMe campaign raised over $10,000 in less than two days for Booty's medical expenses. Ms Doyle highlighted the importance of discouraging backyard breeding, as both puppies were surrendered by such breeders and their conditions were not discovered until weeks after birth.
"A breeder who knows what they're doing would have discovered it way earlier," she said. "For Booty and Tooshie, their atresia ani wasn't discovered until weeks into their lives, so there would have been a degree of suffering they went through."
Ms Doyle encourages the public to follow Booty's journey on social media.
