Rosie was adopted in May 2024

Rosie was surrendered to Arctic Rescue Victoria when she was 3 months old after she had been diagnosed with Liver Shunt. Since then, Rosie has been in foster care with our vet nurse, Donna, who could give her the care she needed before and after her surgery.
Liver shunt is a serious condition where blood bypasses the liver and goes straight into the circulatory system, which means toxins are not being removed by the liver. This can lead to stunted growth, excessive drinking, neurological issues and seizures, to name just a few of the symptoms, so quality and length of life are severely compromised.
Medication can help remove the toxins from the blood stream and alleviate the symptoms, but it is not a long-term solution. The only way to successfully and permanently treat the condition involves intricate, expensive surgery to create new connections between blood vessels in the liver. Without this surgery, the average life expectancy is around 2-3 years.
To give Rosie the chance to live a normal, happy, healthy and long life, Arctic Rescue Victoria made the decision to go ahead with her liver shunt surgery. Scans showed that Rosie’s liver shunt was within the liver, making it more challenging to correct so surgery could not be performed until she was 8 months old.
Rosie’s operation was performed by a specialist team at SouthPaws Veterinary Hospital in early September. She then spent a couple of days under observation with transport between clinics provided by pet ambulance service Ready Vet Go, before being released back to her foster carer.
So far indications are that Rosie’s surgery has been successful, with her post operative test results already showing improvement in her liver function. She will need to remain on a liver-support diet and medications for some time, if not for life, and will need her progress monitored regularly.
Rosie is none the wiser at just how serious her condition was if left without this vital surgery, and she is now back to her mischievous and very talkative self!
Surgery and post-surgery care has cost well over $10,000 and has depleted our funds considerably, so of course any contribution towards Rosie’s surgery is very much appreciated.
Needless to say, we can’t thank the Committee and members of the Samoyed Club enough for your extremely generous donation to help with covering Rosie’s costs and continued care.
After caring for Rosie throughout all her treatment and with Rosie becoming very much a part of her pack, foster carer Donna has adopted her so she can stay with her playmates Aurora, Capri and Kaido – what a wonderful outcome!
We are very much hoping Rosie will continue to improve and that the surgery has given her the long and happy life that every dog deserves.

Microchip no. 956000016311783