Winston – Labrador – (M)

1st August – Winston Update
When Winston arrived into our care, we discovered he had a Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) – a serious heart condition that, without surgery, would have dramatically shortened his life.
Today, we are so pleased to say that Winston’s PDA surgery was a complete success.
He is now recovering well and will have a follow-up heart scan in a few weeks. If everything continues to heal as expected, Winston will go on to live a normal, happy and active life with no medication and no restrictions.
That was always our goal. We didn’t want Winston to simply survive – we wanted to give him the future that every dog deserves.
Winston is still learning that the world can be a kind place. He remains a sensitive boy who is taking everything at his own pace, but now he has something he didn’t have before – time. Time to recover, time to grow in confidence and time to discover what it means to simply be a much-loved dog.
His future is no longer overshadowed by a heart condition. Instead, it is full of hope, and we can’t wait to watch his journey unfold.
Thank you to everyone who has supported Winston. You have helped give this lovely boy the chance of the long, healthy life he always deserved. ❤️

Update 25th July – Heart operation for PDA scheduled for Wednesday 29th July.

21st July 2026

An Update on Our Lovely Winston ❤️
Today we received some difficult news about our lovely Winston. His heart scan has confirmed that he has a Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), a congenital heart condition that, if left untreated, sadly shortens a dog’s life.
The specialists were genuinely surprised that Winston is still alive. Most dogs with an untreated PDA sadly do not make it beyond their first year, which makes it even more remarkable that this little boy has kept going for so long.
The encouraging news is that this condition can be corrected with surgery. Winston is not currently showing clinical signs of heart failure, which gives him the best possible chance. However, because of his age and the length of time his heart has been working with this condition, the surgery is not without risk. We know there are no guarantees, but we also know that without surgery, Winston’s future is very limited.
Seven years ago, we found ourselves in exactly the same position with a little Collie puppy called Wilson. He too had a PDA and, without surgery, he would almost certainly not have reached his first birthday. The wonderful team at Langford performed his operation, and today Wilson is living a full, happy and healthy life. We will never forget what they did for him.
Now it is Winston’s turn.
Looking back, it feels as though Winston was always meant to find his way to Starfish. Had he not, this condition may never have been discovered. We can’t change the start he had in life, but we can make sure he is given every opportunity to have the future he deserves.
Our wonderful vet is already speaking to her contacts at Langford and other specialist centres, and we are now waiting to hear about costs and when Winston can be seen.
As always, thank you for caring so much about our dogs. Please keep Winston in your thoughts over the coming weeks. We will keep you updated

Winston is currently being fostered in an adult family home with other dogs in Gloucestershire.
This lovely boy came into our care from working gundog kennels. He was actually one we had hoped to take last year, but at the time it was decided they would continue trying to train him and find him a working home.
Sadly, it soon became obvious why that never happened. Winston is an incredibly sensitive soul who has spent much of his life worrying about doing the wrong thing. When he first arrived, he was so nervous of people that you could almost feel the weight of his anxiety.
A few weeks on, and what a privilege it has been to watch him begin to blossom.
Winston is one of the gentlest dogs you could ever meet. He doesn’t ask for much; he simply wants to be close to the person he trusts. Wherever his foster mum is, Winston will quietly settle at her feet, content just to be near her. Seeing that trust develop has been incredibly special.
He is now beginning to enjoy his walks, his tail wags more each day and you can almost see the worry lifting from his shoulders as he starts to relax and simply be a dog. Around the other dogs he is quiet and unassuming, happy to live alongside them without fuss, although people are definitely his favourite. He has been left on his own without any problems, sleeps soundly through the night and, despite not yet being neutered, his house training is almost perfect. In fact, his foster mum says she has yet to hear him bark.
Sadly, during Winston’s routine veterinary examination, our vet detected an abnormality with his heart. Although Winston has shown no clinical signs whatsoever and nothing had ever been picked up previously, he is due to have a specialist heart scan on 22nd July so we can understand exactly what is going on.
For now, we are remaining hopeful and taking one step at a time. If you could keep this very special boy in your thoughts, we would all appreciate it. Winston has come such a long way in such a short time, and we hope with all our hearts that he has many happy years ahead of him, enjoying the peaceful countryside life he so clearly deserves with a kind and gentle family.
Videos when he first came in

Videos of our sad boy