Sometimes, it takes a village to save a life!
This is one of those times!
Towards the end of last week we began to see Facebook posts of pleas to help an emaciated senior Pit bull. Our local Animal Control responded to a call about a stray ‘sickly’ looking dog that was dumped by the river and kept getting into trash cans. Even the seasoned animal control officer was shocked to see the condition of this little old gal. A walking skeleton is how she described her, with an abscessed wound on her shoulder; her teeth were ground to her gums and no use of her right rear leg. If a rescue group didn’t step up the dog would be euthanized Monday morning.
We waited to see if a rescue group or person would step up for this dog, but no one did. We made the mistake of stopping by the facility Sunday afternoon to check on her. Thinking we could turn her away because donations are down, we are so full and our vet bill is already too high.
But did all of these reasons deter us? No way!! Turns out it’s not so easy to say no in person! Especially when our little walking skeleton started happily hopping on three legs towards me to give kisses. Especially when our Elderbull has soulful eyes, with the most-gentle soul and lively spirit with that look of wisdom that only comes with age. And especially when we know that if we didn’t step in, she would be euthanized in the morning never knowing tender loving care, the touch of gentle hands or a warm cozy bed to sleep in.
We brought her home and set her up on a comfy soft bed in our isolation facility until we could get her in to see our veterinarian the next morning.
After our veterinarian finished shaking his head he began the daunting task of giving her a complete physical exam and work-up. He believes that poor girl was used as a bait dog, but wherever she came from or whatever her story was- it is one of the worst cases of neglect we have ever witnessed firsthand. The good news is that she has a very good prognosis! Weighing in at a mere 35 pounds - she is emaciated from starvation. Dr. Gast immediately removed the abscessed-oozing wound and put in a drainage tube. Her rear leg is dangly because her hip bone is disconnected from the socket and by the callous-laden foot; it appears to have been that way for quite some time. She needs to gain some weight and muscle back before we can contemplate orthopedic surgery. At this point, we do not know if the leg can be saved by doing a procedure called a Femoral Head Osectomy (FHO) or if we will need to amputate the leg. Our vet gave us an estimate of $2,000.00 to get her immediate medical needs taken care of. On top of that, our Elderbull needs to be spayed, vaccinated, tested for routine issues, microchipped, and a thorough deworming which could easily run another $500.00 or more! And we won’t even list the special food and supplements we will feed her to get her eating again and of course, the endless hours of nursing her wounds and TLC care or the fact that a senior Pit bull most likely will not be adopted, so she will become a ‘lifer’ here at the sanctuary!
So friends, today we turn to you. Has your own dog found redemption and love in your arms as a result of the kindness and generosity of others? This is your chance to pay it forward. No donation is too small (or too large!). Give until it hurts! And remember a pinch to your wallet is nothing compared to the pain that she had endured and still must overcome. There is no question that your contribution will be helping to save the life of this amazing dog that we named….Amazing Grace!
Donations can be made securely on-line via our website www.pigs.org or you can mail a check to: PIGS Animal Sanctuary
1112 Persimmon Lane
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
Help us spread the word and share Grace's story with all of your family and friends!
