Written by Sanette Bosman of SPOT – Sunny’s Pet Outreach Team
Professional photography by Framed Media
Duncan’s journey started when he was born on Friday night on the 7th of March 2025. By the Monday his owners contacted me to ask for help as he wasn’t feeding properly from his mom. I explained my process – that he’d be surrendered into my care and later his siblings would need to be surrendered for responsible rehoming and we’d assist in getting mom sterilised, to which they agreed.
I collected him and went straight to the vet for a diagnosis and prognosis, as I won’t allow an animal to suffer unnecessarily in trying to save them. This tiny pup, all of 45 grams, had a cleft lip (previously called harelip), and the doctor confirmed that, with enough care, he’d have a chance at life.
Round-the-clock care started (keeping in mind I’m a single mom with a full-time job and doing rescue in my spare time). Little Duncan went to work with me and was by my side 24/7, feeding every three hours. After a few weeks with the gaps along his nose increasing, he was sucking too much air with the bottle. The vet trained me, with so much patience and understanding, to tube feed. I was very anxious and we visited the doctor daily to ensure everything was fine and he was gaining weight.
He is now 18 weeks old, weighing a kilogram, eating normally and being a real pup. His siblings have been adopted to amazing families following the adoption process and weigh between 2 and 2.5 kilos, and mom was sterilised.
Duncan won’t be up for adoption – after what we’ve been through, we have an undeniable bond. And with so many healthy animals waiting to be adopted in shelters, it wouldn’t be fair to a family to take on his possible special needs in future should they arise.
The next step is to have him tested for dwarfism due to his tiny size and possible associated health concerns like heart or other organ defects that could require monitoring later in life. For now, Duncan is happy, healthy and king of the household which he shares with my other seven dogs and two sons, travelling to work with me daily, and still by my side everywhere I go.
