PROZAC – adopt one for a lifetime of pure happiness, as prescribed by Life of Pikelet Rescue,
No, not the capsule. the chunky, snorty, slightly unhinged but entirely charming bulldog boi who’s guaranteed to lift your serotonin levels (and possibly your mop, several times a day).
Prozac arrived into rescue care back in late February 2023 as a 5 (going on 6) week old puppy with a substantial cleft palate and cleft lip.
Within a few months the rescue had Prozac assessed for cleft repair surgery by Dr Arthur House (T-zone surgical specialist). I was decided that yes, Prozac does need a repair surgery but only once he has fully matured.
Immediately upon making his debut on Life of Pikelet social media, his current adoptive family, flagged with us their adoption interest. Having been longtime foster carers for this rescue and many others and being experienced in male bulldogs, we felt it was a wonderful match.
But as life goes sometimes, situations can change where what’s best for a special needs dog like Prozac, is no longer his adoptive family.
This isn’t to say his adoptive family haven’t loved and cared for cheeky Prozac, it’s just that a single parent household with changed working hours has meant that Prozac is no longer living his best life. And like all fantastic pet owners, sometimes putting the need of a pet finding a new home in front of your own attachment, is what is best.
Now that we are in 2025, and Prozac is closer in age to 3, this little man comes with a few pre-existing conditions; both medical and emotional.
As mentioned above Prozac was born with a cleft lip as well as both hard and soft cleft palate, which means mealtime can be… well, let’s call it a sensory experience. Until his palate repair surgery, some after meal “nasal food fountains” an exciting blend of kibble and enthusiasm artistically sprayed across your home via some cleft clearing sneezes.
Once you get past the occasional projectile noodle, you’ll find Prozac is an absolute sweetheart toilet trained, eager to please, and freshly desexed (yes, his balls have been discontinued from the market). Since his big boi surgery, he has mellowed out beautifully, though he still occasionally expresses his feelings by attacking his lead at walkies time. Don’t worry, this outburst is short-lived, he’s quick to self-regulate once the serotonin (and fresh air) kicks in.
Life of Pikelet is committed to funding Prozac’s cleft repair surgery as soon as he is settled in a forever home. The reasoning why both his repair surgery and desex surgery were delayed was a mixture of life/time circumstances for his current owner and the completion of his adoptive process which took a bit of time from an admin end of things.
When Prozac was vetted by Life of Pikelet a few months ago (we had him desexed, health checked and vaccinated) our vets prescribed some mental health meds to help him curb his anxiety. No, Prozac was not prescribed Prozac! And while he was on these meds right after surgery, currently he is not on any medication. We as his rehoming rescue would like adopters of this sweet boyo to work with our vet to get him back on track with his medication protocol as we believe his cleft palate is currently causing him some frustration and behaviour issues. Once he has had his repair surgery, we are happy for his mental health medication to be reassessed.
Currently his medication per month cost around $200, so it’s important to note before applying for Prozac’s adoption, that he comes with some fancy and expensive needs.
If you’re ready to start your Prozac treatment plan, please consult your heart and submit an adoption application. Results may vary, but most report improved mood, reduced loneliness, and a mild increase in household chaos. However, if you have never had a dose of Prozac in your life, then please read carefully.
Side Effects May Include:
- Uncontrollable laughter at his dopey expressions and questionable life choices.
- Random sneezes that could power a small jet.
- Warm snuggles on the couch followed by mild food theft from your plate.
- Random people coming up to you and gushing over your most handsome potate hound.
Ongoing Treatment Plan:
- Regular Medicated Malaseb baths — Prozac is a yeasty boy, and his skin thanks you for your commitment to hygiene.
- Continued palate repair follow-ups with your LOP vet, he’s a work in progress, but he’s worth every cent and every wipe.
- Consistent diet (he’s currently a pantry wench and professional beggar).
- A patient, stable home with people who can offer time, structure, and affection, the best kind of therapy there is.
Behavioural Summary:
- Toilet trained (miracle level achieved).
- “Dumb but delightful” he’s not winning any Mensa tests, but he’ll ace “best boy.”
- Walks well after a brief wrestle with the lead.
- Food motivated (see: cupboard wench).
- Big heart, bigger nose noises.
BEFORE you read Prozac’s adoption criteria it is extremely important that potential adopters give great thought and communicate in their adoption application as to what their home set up and routine plan is for the first few weeks/months if they are the successful adopter of this most precious doggo. Prozac cannot be settled in over just a weekend and then left on a Monday home alone while you return to work… There needs to be a plan outlined so that his foster family can feel assured that he is going to be set up for success in his new home.
ADOPTION CRITERIA
Deal breakers:
- A calm home environment with understanding humans (preferably those who don’t mind the after meal messy sneezes)
- Someone who can commit to post-surgery care, mental health ongoing assessments and medication (as needed) and ongoing skin maintenance.
- Daily (preferably multiple) outings/walks/park or beach visits. Prozac has a thic waistline and without daily exercise and mental stimulation, this boy really could turn into a housebound hurricane of hurt!
- A good and premium diet, with skin issues and some emotional issues, a premium kibble diet to start off with, but once he has had his repair surgery, a balanced species appropriate raw diet is what this good boy needs to succeed.
- It is not negotiable that Prozac’s new forever family stay in contact with LoP Rescue, this little lump is a very special baby and we hope to stay in his life to support him and his family ongoing.
Non deal breakers:
- While it’s not always possible, we would love to find that needle in a haystack for Prozac, an adopter who is home more than not. This boy really needs a human (or a few) that can give him the time he needs and the attention every arrogant bulldog babe demands!
- It would be our preference to find an adoptive family who live in VIC so that we can work together for Prozac’s cleft repair surgery. If you are interstate and you feel this boy is the bulldog of your dreams, then you’ll need to be prepared to cover his cleft repair surgery with a T-zone surgical specialist in your state that we as a rescue approve (he cannot have his repair surgery done by a GP vet, it is a complex cleft palate that needs a specialist).
- Prozac is currently an only dog child, and while his previous canine brother in his current home has passed away, they didn’t really get on so well. This may have been because both male bulldogs were undesexed. However, when in foster care, Prozac had many many foster siblings of all breeds, genders and ages and he had zero issue with any of them. We would be open to Prozac going to a forever home with another balanced, confident dog.
- Currently Prozac lives with 3 young teenagers, has had many house guests of young babies and young children, he has been pretty good around most, however it would be our preference that Prozac find a forever family with older children, probably over the age of 15years. His emotional outbursts can be a lot for a young child to understand, and dogs communicate with their mouths. And while Prozac is not what we would consider an aggressive dog, we just want to set this boy up for success.
HEALTH
Prozac has a full cleft palate and unilateral cleft lip. This is a midline birth anomaly which is visual (other midline defects sometimes are not obvious to the naked eye). With a full cleft palate, it means that Prozac has a cleft on the roof of his mouth (his hard palate) and a cleft that goes further down into his soft palate. Unfortunately, Prozac’s cleft has widened over time, which is common for a cleft to change shape as the growth plates in the mouth change and grow.
Currently Prozac has some skin flareups which are common for his breed. Because of his cleft palate, he isn’t able to go on a balanced raw diet to help with these skin issues, so medicated baths once a week until after surgery are needed.
While Prozac waits for his cleft repair surgery, he has a monthly prescription of “mental health” meds, this protocol will help him with behavioural issues and balance out while he exhibits discomfort as a result of his cleft being a bit of a nuisance specifically during and after eating. This expense is around $200 per month and will be the responsibility of his adoptive family.
ADOPTION DETAILS
**We do our best to review and reply to all applications within 14 days, please be patient.
Please click here for an adoption application.
– Microchipped
– Desexed
– Up to date vaccinations, flea, tick & worming treatments.
– Cleft repair surgery funded by Life of Pikelet rescue with our preferred Vet in VIC.
MICROCHIP NUMBER 953010006368002
SOURCE NUMBER RE128924
**Located in foster care in Melbourne, Victoria, Prozac is available for interstate adoption however this comes with the firm understanding that if an interstate candidate is successful, Prozac’s new family will need to come to Melbourne to complete adoption paperwork and travel home with him. Interstate candidates please see above in deal breakers/non-deal breakers. Video footage of yard & home will also need to be provided along with the agreement to a possible home check by a local Life of Pikelet rescue volunteer.
***Life of Pikelet cannot provide transportation interstate, we reserve the voluntary transport be focused on our critical care needs of new intakes.
