BEAUFORT, SC......I so wish I did not have to share another abused animal.   The past two weeks have been non-stop abuse cases.  It seems like everywhere I go, an animal is either being starved, tortured or neglected.   That does not even include the thousands of e-mails I get daily of animals all needing help.   The tears never seem to dry up for all the animals we help and all the ones we can't.   We just keep on going and doing the very best we can to help as many as we can with the best possible medical care.

This week I was at the Vet's office with two of my own dogs.   When I went back to pick them up at 6:00, I was horrified to see a sweet bulldog that was in horrible shape.   The Vet Techs were in the process of taking care of her, so I decided to stick to getting my dogs and leave.   Something in my gut would not allow me to leave the Vets Office.   I just knew this dog would not be alive tomorrow if I did not do something.   I got as much information as possible from the Owner and the Vet and convinced them that this dog needed to be in ICU in a 24-hour care facility.  I offered to pay, and the Owner finally agreed to take his dog to CVRC in Charleston, SC.

Sweet Cookie is a 4-year-old Bulldog / Frenchie Mix that was left with a friend from February 11 to March 2.   The Owner is in the Military and had been in Arizona since January 2 working.  He and his Family were moving back to California, which is where they were from.  His Wife was in charge of packing up the house when she got word that her Father had passed.   She had everything picked up and shipped to California and cancelled the lease on their home.   The Owner was retiring after 15 years in the Marines and had to come back to Beaufort.   Cookie was going to be his Co-Pilot for the drive to California so he asked a Friend if he would look after her until he got back in three weeks.   The Friend was more than happy to help.  The day before Cookie was to be picked up, the Friend called and said that Cookie had a rash around her neck and that she would not eat but would drink water.   The day he went to pick up Cookie, he was horrified at what he say.   His beautiful girl had bite wounds around her neck that had become infected, and she was now half her body weight.   Cookie was on Death's Door just waiting to die.  He rushed her to the Vet which is where I saw her for the first time.  

Cookie was in the most horrible shape.   All her skin was wrinkled and just hung on her sweet body.    The wounds around her neck were terribly infected.  She did not have a rash; she had what appeared to be bite wounds that had been left untreated.    Something terrible had happened to this sweet dog for her to look this way after only three weeks.   Her condition was far worse than a dog not eating.  My gut told me that she either had an obstruction or had been poisoned.  Whatever had happened to her, she was in critical condition and needed 24-hour care.  

CVRC (Charleston Veterinary Referral Center) did a battery of tests that night and did scans of her abdomen.  She was put on fluids and antibiotics, and her neck was cleaned as best they could without sedating her.   Cookie was far too weak to be sedated.   The scans showed that  Cookie had an obstruction in her intestine and bowel.   Once we got her stable, surgery was done the next day.   The surgeon removed what appeared to be a sock and a piece of plastic that had punctured her intestinal wall.   The fact she is alive right now is a Miracle.  She should have been Septic and died from the infection that was caused by the perforation.   Cookie survived the procedure but had to be brought out before they could do surgery on her neck.  Her vitals were dropping too much for them to continue.   Cookie is still in ICU and will be for a while.     She has to have more procedures, and we are waiting for her cultures to come back so we can treat her infections appropriately.

I guess my dogs were supposed to be sick for me to be at the Vet at just the right time.   Cookies Owner returned just in time to save his precious dog from dying a horrible death   As far as the Friend goes, irresponsible does not even begin to describe what he is.   Did he starve Cookie, no? He should have contacted the Owner when she wouldn't eat or taken her to the Vet.  There is no excuse for this kind of Negligence.

This young man has served his Country for 15 years in the Marines, let's help him now by getting his dog well so he can retire and be with his Family in California.  That is the least we can do and as far as his Friend goes, I would not want to be him right now based on how upset and distraught Cookies Family is.