Petey was a cruelty seizure by Animal Control. He was tethered to a pole with a dilapidated box for a doghouse. He was fortunate to still be alive, because his buddy nearby was not.
This poor pup started wagging his tail and whining when he saw the cruelty officer come into the backyard. He was removed from his inhumane surroundings and was placed in a safe but temporary environment. During his initial vet examination, it was obvious that he had an embedded collar, in addition to being covered with fleas, malnourished and dehydrated. And he is only ten months old!
Treating Petey’s dehydration was of immediate concern. He was given intravenous fluids and monitored carefully. His neck wound was cleaned with hydrotherapy. He was loaded up with analgesics to keep him comfortable during his treatment and given a penicillin injection. Petey appreciated having several people cleaning his wound and giving him a flea bath. In fact, he was as sweet as could be under those circumstances and even gave little kisses to his caregivers.
An appeal was made the next day to a local volunteer rescue group. Animal Control could not keep him until his neck wound healed. He had until the next afternoon to be rescued or he would have to be euthanized.
That rescue group accepted him and picked him up the same day. What a lucky break for a pit mix! Staffordshire Terriers, full blooded or mixed, are seldom saved, and because of the public phobia about that breed, they are difficult to adopt.
Petey the Pittie, reported his foster mother, “He is the sweetest baby. The first two days I had him, he was so tired he barely moved. Today he showed some playfulness. He is so cute! He barks when he needs to potty. He wags his body and smiles. He is sooooo emaciated! I feed him small portions and gradually add more food at each meal. Right now, he is on medication for pain, antibiotics and LOTS OF LOVE.”
Petey went to the vet for a follow-up visit and made lots of new human friends there too. He greeted everyone with the happy full body Pittie wag. He must continue his pain medication and antibiotics for one month and must have hydrotherapy to his open wound four times daily for several weeks. He will be a regular at the clinic for continuous treatment and to keep close track of his progress. He apparently had every intestinal worm possible, but he is heartworm negative at this time.
No companion animal should have to live in those sordid conditions. How can any anyone treat a life in a deliberately callous manner? He is so young to have experienced such callous neglect. Dogs, by nature, are forgiving but the emotional damage he has sustained at such a young age will not be as short lived as his physical injuries.
Please find it in your heart to help pay for Petey’s vet and food costs by making a kind and generous donation to Animals Abused & Abandoned here.