I've been doing rescue for 5 years now, fostering for 4.5. The stories I hear still make me mad and still make me shake my head at the inhumanity that exists, but nothing really surprises me anymore. Up until tonight, I'd only been stopped in dead in my tracks once and that was when I met Duncan, a 57lbs Great Dane who should have weighed 125lbs. Tonight, it happened again.
I went to the C.A.R.E transport to get our new foster, Ralph. I was told he was in bad shape and very skinny, but I knew something was very wrong when the doors of the van opened and Lisa and Linda both began to call out to me. They quickly ushered me in through the gate and led me to Ralph.
Ralphie was a bit skinnier than I expected, but what was so shocking was his tail. Ralphie has a very large open wound with bone exposed. The smell was awful, and infection was clearly setting in. It was almost as if his tail was going to literally fall off!
I immediately put in him in my car and placed a call to Dr Winton for a emergency visit to her. She was as horrified as I was. We did the very best we did to clean it, but it was much too painful to do a deep clean. She wrapped it, and also noticed the tail was broken. It will need to be amputated when he is neutered. He is so skinny, and so dehydrated, she gave him Sub Q fluids as well.
We finally made it home where I was able to give him a small dinner along with pain pills and antibiotics. Because he is so skinny, he will need to be fed 5-6 x per day, in very minimal amounts.
Ralphie is a complete sweetheart and such a good boy. He has had a long day, so he will be going to a quiet crate for the night so he can get a good nights sleep.
I will keep you updated on his progress.
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