Hastings couple tell of poorly pup's rare disease

Jacob Heneke, 22, and Leah Barrett, 21, rescued their German Shepherd puppy after he was found on the side of the road in Hailsham. 

The couple, from Hastings, named him Frank and said they fell in love with him instantly.

During his first few months Frank began to display some worrying symptoms.

Leah and Jacob with Frank

Jacob said: “It started with him not playing with his toys, then very quickly he couldn’t eat his food. 

“Our Frank’s a little soldier who powered through, and the Vet’s said he was the best tempered German Shepherd they’ve ever met.”

The vet made an emergency referral to a specialist clinic in London who had to run very expensive diagnostic tests. 

Jacob added: “We are so blessed that Frank didn’t need invasive surgery, but he does have a disease which involves his jaw ‘self-destroying’ itself for the duration of his puppy-hood.”

The condition is Craniomandibular Osteopathy (CMO) and is known as “Westie jaw” due to it being very rare for dogs that are not terriers. 

Frank, now seven months old, has now returned home from the hospital and Jacob said he is already coming back into himself, enjoying walks and is finally able to move his jaw. The problem will hopefully now reduce as he gets older.

He said: “Immediately Frank became our child, we talk about him non-stop and show photos of him all the time.

“We’re 21 and 22 and thought we were being responsible dog parents’ getting Frankie insured, but unfortunately he started to feel poorly within the 14 day window when you aren’t covered and now we have a massive vet bill.”

The diagnostic tests that were run on Frank were close to £4,000 and Jacob and Leah are worried they will not be able to cover the fee right away.

They have set up a Gofundme page to help raise money to cover the treatment. 

Jacob said: “We know everybody is struggling at the moment, and a lot of people won’t be able to donate but even the smallest donations are a great help. 

“Thank you for reading this, please send positive thoughts to our baby Frank.”

To donate to the fundraiser visit www.gofundme.com/f/7ezf5-franks-vet-bill