FINLAY FIGHTING BACK
HI All
As promised here is an update on Finlay’s progress. We are delighted to be able to tell you that he is doing extremely well. He is by no means in the prime condition he was in before he was seized by the police. However, he is infinitely better than when they returned him after 4.5 months in their custody. Behaviourally, he has regained a lot of his confidence and he is now bright eyed and interested in life. Crucially, the over grooming has stopped. This stereotypical behaviour is a coping mechanism that animals develop when placed in overbearing captivity. We still do not know where Finlay was kept by the police but is abundantly clear that the conditions caused a mental and physical deterioration in him.
Physically, Finlay has gained weight. We have sought veterinary advice at regular intervals and increased his food intake gradually. Such was the level of deterioration, there were concerns about putting too much pressure on his kidneys and digestive system. When he was given back to us, he was listless and had a poor appetite. He is now eating almost twice the amount of food he did when he was returned. He is also gaining muscle coverage and strength by the day and his energy levels are much higher.
Another significant milestone is that Finlay has now been deemed well enough by vets to be wormed and vaccinated. This has now been done. Imagine how weak Finlay had to be for a vet to previously consider such routine procedures too risky.
It has taken a long and emotionally draining ten weeks of thoughtful care by our team, to bring Finlay back from the brink. We must admit, that in the first couple of weeks, every day was nerve-wracking. We shed many tears as we feared for his survival. Those fears have now reduced, although we always remain vigilant for any signs of relapse. It will still take months for him to regain his full condition, but we are here for him every step of the way. You can see in this photo taken last week, that he looks much stronger and brighter and it's clear that he is very interested in exploring his surroundings. He is such a beautiful boy and has come back to life.
As you all know, Finlay had a very traumatic start, being orphaned and found soaking wet and close to death in the Highlands. He fought hard to survive and under our care, he transformed from that weak and vulnerable orphan, into a strong, confident and beautiful adult. Suddenly, without warning on the the 14th February 2022, he was seized by the police and detained for 4.5 months. We can only imagine the stress, anxiety and suffering he endured during this time. You have all seen the photos of his deterioration in previous posts. However, for the second time in his short life, he has been forced to fight for his survival and that is exactly what he has done. He did not deserve this unnecessary suffering in police custody, it is completely unacceptable.
This cannot be allowed to happen to any other animal again and so it is vital that all those involved in Finlay’s wrongful detention and all those responsible for his mental and physical trauma, are fully held to account. As we have said, we have instructed a fantastic legal team and the first stage of seeking redress is underway as we put together the strongest case possible. We do not know how long the process will take but like Finlay, we can give you a cast iron guarantee that we will fight as hard as possible and never give up. We will endeavour to see that Justice is done and that Finlay gets the future he deserves. Finlay cannot speak, so collectively, we must speak for him. We know that Finlay has touched all your hearts, so if you want to support our ‘Justice for Finlay’ campaign then please visit:
https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/justice-for-finlay-1/
We will keep you updated every step of the way and will put out some video of Finlay very soon.
Thanks so much.
Emily (Director) and Finlay