Rescuer Finds Dying Puppy On Her Street And Nurses Him Back To Health
It’s hard to believe that a puppy was hiding underneath the hairless, sick, starving dog Stephanie Smith-Justus found on the Virginia street where she lives. Yet one thing was clear to her from the moment she saw the puppy: he was dying.
As fate would have it, Stephanie is president of the Buchanan County Humane Society. Another stroke of luck was that the veterinarian she works with regularly lives on the same street.
From the moment Stephanie picked up Watkins, the dog’s survival and recovery have been nothing short of miraculous.
Stephanie posted her account of Watkins’ rescue on Facebook, and her story strikes a chord:
“On May 7, Watkins was found. Prior to that date, we knew nothing about him. He was found by my neighbor who alerted me to a “dog that was in terrible shape.”
My husband and I went looking for him. He was found on the street where we live. He had been abandoned and severely neglected. My husband’s first words were. “He’s not going to make it.”
We looked for him for at least an hour when we finally located him. He had crawled into a weedy ditch in a secluded area. We think he had found a cool place to lie down and die. We were determined not to let that happen. Thousands of people were also supporting him.
“Fortunately, Dr. Rasnake, our local veterinarian, lives on the same street where we found him. We rushed to her house…without even knocking on her door…we carried him to her house. We immediately went to her clinic, Appalachian Animal Health Clinic.
She worked quickly to find an injection site. He was in terrible shape. His skin was oozing from every pore. He winced in pain when touched He had been crying so hard for so long that he had no voice to cry with He had no energy to bite. He was only four months old.”
“Dr. Rasnake diagnosed him with Demodex, a type of scabies he had caught from his mother. He was severely malnourished and dehydrated. He had infections in his eyes, kidneys, ears, and a bacterial infection on his skin. Over the next few days, he lost all his hair. He continued to lose fluids and weight. He remained in intensive care for over 50 days.
After a while, he stopped eating. We tried everything. X-rays showed that his intestine was twisted and he had emergency surgery. We prayed all night for him to live. After this serious surgery, we needed to know that his bowels were still working, so we prayed for him to poop. Three days later, he did. Then he stopped eating again.
Another surgery to insert a feeding tube. He continued to lose weight and we went to Va Tech. He saw a specialist, a nutritionist and an orthopedic vet. They kept him for 6 days, then sent him home for Dr. Rasnake to continue his care.
Gradually, he started to gain weight. He had weighed 32 lbs when we found him and he was down to 17. It was a scary time. He continued to be cared for in the ICU unit at Dr. Rasnake’s office. He fought hard to stay alive and thousands were praying for him. He finally started eating and he pulled his feeding tube out.
This required yet another surgery to remove the “balloon” that remained in his stomach. His recovery was much easier than the previous ones and we were relieved. He ‘turned the corner” and finally started getting better.
We brought him home after 60+ days in ICU. He still requires weekly vet care. He has been house-trained and learned many new things. He’s learned to share, to play with others, and retreat to his crate when he needs to rest. He gets tired very easily and hates being hot. He has leveled out at 38 lbs and eats well. His skin is a constant battle but he responds well to the weekly (sometimes more often) treatments.”
He loves to pile up blankets to be comfortable with his stuffed lobster and his dog siblings.
He gets excited when we tell him he’s going to the “doctor”. When we take him in the clinic, he is always happy to see the staff and Dr. Rasnake. He remembers where his kennel is in ICU and they have it waiting for him when he goes for treatments.
He’s a happy, inquisitive puppy who is smarter than the average bear.
He loves riding in the car, playing with foster puppies, and chewing on his many toys that were sent to him when he was so sick.
Watkins was named for the street where we found him that day. He still lives on that very street. It’s also where his vet lives as well. And the person who saw him first that day. It’s where his journey started and where he has finally found joy.
H/T: reshareworthy.com
Please SHARE this article with your friends and family! 💖
