It takes a village

They say it takes a village...

It took a home health care worker to call animal control about a skinny Beagle she saw while caring for an elderly woman.

It took an animal control officer to step in and pull this dog out of a bad situation.

It took the examining veterinarian to vehemently recommend not returning this emaciated, very ill, neglected dog to an owner unable or unwilling to care for her.

It took a incapacitated woman to show decency and agree to sign the dog over and relinquish ownership, so she could get the care she needed.

It took a rescue group willing to go the extra mile for this dog in spite of recommendations to euthanise her.

It took me to say "Yes I'll try" when they called me.

It took my veterinarian to say "Yes, I'll try with you".

And yeah...it took my husband to understand why I had to do this and it took my other dogs' amazing capacity to accept yet another old and infirm creature into our home.

Suzie came home with us on Saturday August 4th. She was so thin it made my stomach lurch to pet her.

Untreated diabetes had taken its toll and turned this once pudgie Beagle into a walking skeleton.  Suzie's heart didn't work quite right either, causing labored breathing and some dizziness.  Her urinary tract was inflamed and infected. She was blind.
And yet this little dog wagged when you spoke to her and wagged harder when you touched her.

On Monday August 6 we started her on antibiotics.
On Wednesday August 8 we started her on insulin.

And now we wait and we hope and we love her as hard as we can. 

Suzie eats like a lumberjack.  She walks slowly around outside, following my voice.  She wags her tail when the other dogs approach her.  They sniff her gently and keep their distance.  They are so good. Suzie has an old dog bark, sounding more like a seal than a dog, but it is distinctly a Beagle voice and it fills my heart to hear the hound song in our home again.

I do not know if we can reverse the damage done to this little dog.
I do not know how long we will have her.
But I do know I am a better person for having met her. Goooo Suzie!

 

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