Adorable Titus is a dog we rescued almost eight years ago. He had chewed the lower part of his limb off because of a spinal injury. We placed him in a great home seven years ago with another dog of ours named Blitz. For years, these two pups lived a beautiful life with other dogs. They were both disabled and used carts. Titus had to have his bladder expressed several times a day because of his injuries. He could urinate some on his own but required expressing to prevent bladder infections.
All was right with the pups until I received a letter from the Owner stating she had medical, financial, and emotional issues that prevented her from keeping the pups. I immediately sent a note back, saying we would take the dogs back and needed to know when they would be arriving. I was shocked when I saw the condition the dogs were in when they arrived. They were in excellent health when they left, but Titus was now obese, and his lower limb had decubitus ulcers that were infected. In addition, Titus's urine smelled so bad we knew he had a bladder infection.
We know this person so to see the dogs in the condition they were in was horrifying to us. Blitz was doing fine, but dear Titus was critical and had to be taken to CVRC in Charleston immediately. Titus was always smiling under the worst circumstances. He was happy to see us and could barely move because of his weight.
It took me a while to explain to the ER Vets how this pup used to be since he was now so sick. Poor Titus's Bladder had not been expressed in so long that he had a raging bladder infection, and he had to have a catheter placed to keep his bladder drained while he healed. The antibiotic he was on also required IV fluids, which added to the problem. The other critical issue was his blood values now showed he was a DIABETIC and needed insulin shots. His excess weight gain had caused him to become sick with Diabetes.
Sadly, on top of everything else, Titus had been left so long on his own without his cart that he had developed infected decubitus ulcers, which are painful pressure sores. In addition to everything else, his wound care was going to be difficult now because of his Diabetes. Every one of Titus's Medical Conditions is from sheer Neglect. I do not know the circumstances of what led up to this. We should have been contacted sooner when the Owners Life took a turn for the worse. We would have taken them back years ago. Depression has played a significant role in her, not realizing how bad they were. I am thankful she finally realized she needed help and reached out to us.
Titus is still critical but improving. We have a $7,000. Bill and more coming to get him well. None of this should have happened. He was a healthy, happy pup that loved Life, and now he is very sick. The good news is, Titus is still happy and loves Life. Life is always great in this Little Man's World. He is a lot older than he was when we rescued him, but he still has love and kisses for everyone he meets. Our Heart melts every time we see him and breaks, knowing what he has endured. Please, DONATE whatever you can so we can get out of this financial hole we were put in to save one of our pups.
No good comes from bad-mouthing someone dealing with Depression. We do not know what led up to this and are thankful she finally reached out for help. We wish for her nothing but Peace and Joy and courage to turn her Life around. If you know someone dealing with Depression that has animals, make sure they are being taken care of. When people cannot take care of themselves, the animals are always last on the list.
