The famous saying “you can’t save them all” in animal rescue really rings true tonight. Nothing is worse than wanting to so badly save a dog and you just can’t ultimately save them.
I belong to a lot of lost & found pet groups on Facebook. When I was scrolling through my feed, I saw a picture that caught my eye. It was a very sad looking dog, with electrical wire around her neck. She was found on a street corner, tied to a lamp post with the wire. Like, really?
I drove an hour to go pick up Sweet Pea (what my best friend and I temporarily named her) and she. was. terrified. And that’s an understatement. This baby girl was so sad. Her eyes were soulful as they looked up at me and I told her it was okay. I was there to save her.
After lifting her into my car because she wouldn’t get up on her own, Sweet Pea almost immediately projectiled diarrhea in my back seat. Luckily, it was mostly on a blanket that I laid down for her. Whatever. That was the least of my worries. I cleaned up what I could so she could lay in a clean back seat, then we were on our way.
I headed to an emergency vet in Gilbert because my regular vet was double booked for the day. I knew I had to get Sweet Pea into a vet right away. As we made the hour drive back, I kept checking on her to make sure she was still breathing. But she just slept. Sweet Pea looked so peaceful, her head laying on a clean part of the blanket. It was a heartbreaking sight.
I called up my friend Andria and she was going to meet me at the vet. When we got there, a couple of techs came out to my car to assess Sweet Pea. Then they picked her up and rolled her into the office to get her on fluids after telling me she looked ill.
Right away, the doctor thought it was parvo. Normally projectile diarrhea and extreme lethargy are tall tale signs. Now, typically dogs get parvo if they aren’t vaccinated and come across another dog who has it. Since we didn’t know her past, we had no idea what she had come in contact with. But our guess was that if she was tied up with electrical wire, she probably wasn’t vaccinated.
We did the parvo test. It came back negative. Well, that’s good news! Not really. The doctor thought that it was probably the onset of parvo and told us that the tests can also come back wrong. The words “she’s extremely sick” are never words you want to hear in any situation.
Sweet Pea was severely dehydrated. Her gums were freezing, when they should have been warm and pink. She was immediately put on IV fluids. The hardest part about this whole situation is the unknowns. This poor baby was only about 1 year old. She had probably been abused, then abandoned. Sweet Pea was comfortable laying in her own feces and urine, which leads me to believe she was kept in a kennel where she didn’t have a choice but to lay in it.
So what are my options? The only way to get a better idea of what was making Sweet Pea so sick was so run several tests, take x-rays, etc. Ideally she needed to be hospitalized. For an overnight stay at the vet and all of the testing, fluids and medicines, it was going to cost me $1,850. And even then, the doctor said it was a 50/50 chance she would make it and we still wouldn’t know if she was in the early stages of parvo.
My other options involved taking Sweet Pea home after a couple hours at the vet. They would give me antibiotics, but still, we wouldn’t know what was going on. If she did have parvo, that puts my dogs at risk. They are vaccinated, but it’s a very scary thought. The best place for her was with professionals who can be with her all night.
Right now, Sweet Pea is in the hospital. She is comfortable, warm and surrounded by good people who will take good care of her. I paid $200 up front so she could stay on IV fluids overnight.
Although we don’t know how long Sweet Pea will make it (there’s a possibility she could end up perfectly fine), I have set up a donation account to raise money for her treatment. Any donations would be very much appreciated.
*Update: Sweet Pea was euthanized today without my knowledge. She didn’t progress through the night and they didn’t want to put more work into her. The vet transferred her to the Humane Society, where they euthanized her immediately. I didn’t even have a chance to offer up all of the donations. The donations I’ve collected will go toward giving other ill dogs the necessary treatment they need and deserve.*
Kerri says
This hurts my heart, I hope Sweet Pea pulls threw and you get enough donations to help her. You have such a big heart for helping this sweet girl.
Amanda says
Thank you Kerri. I tried. They euthanized her before I could get to her today. I didn’t even have a chance to offer all of the money I raised. I am devastated and can’t stop crying.
Sharon, Lessons From A Paralyzed Dog says
Poor Sweet Pea. You did a great job rescuing her and seeing that she got good care. I hope she pulls through. Years ago I found a stray puppy who was emaciated and had a big scratch on his head. I took him home and the next day he came down with Parvo. The only course of treatment at the time was to push IV fluids so I turned the puppy over to the care of the veterinary hospital. 24 hours later, little Harry was feeling much better. He had some residual effects from the Parvo, but he was a great family dog for the next 8 years. Hope your puppy has a happy ending. Will share about your donation.
DZ Dogs says
That’s soo sad!! They should have at least let you have a say in the decision! 🙁 Thank you so much though for caring for her as much as you could have.
Amanda says
I wish they would have. She’d probably be alive and getting all treatment possible. But maybe not. God is taking care of her either way.
Jen Gabbard says
Thank you so much for saving her from that situation. It never ceases to amaze me how many animals end up neglected like this. Although it’s not the outcome anyone wished for you did all you could & helped give this girl a chance.
Amanda says
I tried. I really did. I cried for hours. But everyone is saying what you are – at least she didn’t die abandoned in the street after suffering. She went peacefully and I KNOW she felt my love.
Denise Gruzensky says
I’m crying for you and sweet pea! I was getting ready to click on your donation site and read the update. I’m a bit in shock as I can’t believe that happened without contacting you! Sweet pea was lucky to have had you and felt your love before she passed. We’ll look forward to seeing her running at the rainbow bridge!
Amanda says
It is beyond devastating. I’m just glad I was able to show her love and peace in the end. And now with the donations we can help other animals who need treatment!
Michele says
You are an amazing and wonderful person, the kind of person I hope to be one day. You made all the difference in the world to that dog even though it did not turn out the way we all wanted. God bless you and your animals.
Amanda says
Michele, you are so incredibly kind. Thank you for your beautiful words. God bless you and yours also! xoxo