"Baby" is Home From the Vet

A few posts back we reported on a poor emaciated pooch with what looked like a huge tumor on his side. Thanks to the compassion and generosity of a good Sam, a 16 year old girl with a big heart and the "kindness of strangers" - the many Pet FBI Ohio Facebook friends who donated to help him get proper vet care, "Baby" has begun the rest of his new, transformed life with a caring, loving family.

The big mass on his side was an abscess not a tumor, it has been drained and Baby is much younger than he appears, about three years of age. Here are some exchanges from our Facebook page:

From the Mom of his the 16 year old gal who rescued him:

"Baby is home with us. Briannaand Jordanpick him up this evening. He has a lot of recovering to do, but we made a promise to him to have the best life from this point on. God chose us to care for him by sending him to Bri. She loves him completely. He is such a sweet, gentle, and loving little guy. They are curled up sleeping together now."*

A concerned comment from Julie, a Pet FBI Ohio Facebook friend:

"So glad he is safe and loved by your family! I hope the vet gave you instructions on how to feed him and put weight back on in a very controlled manor. These emaciated dogs are very prone to bloating/torsion of the stomach. It happens if they eat too fast or too**much at once. It can kill a dog within a hour. Please Google symptoms of bloat so you know what to look for. The symptoms are not obvious. It sounds like he is in good hands with you all."

From Bri's Mom: "Julie, ty so much for the info. Bri wrote down everything the vet told her to make sure she wouldn't hurt him in the process of trying to help him. She has a food/calorie intake set up on her phone so she can keep track of it."

From Bri: "The vet went over feeding schedule with me and informed me how many kcal to feed him, when to increase it, how much to increase it, etc."

Our hearts and prayers go out to Baby, to Bri and to their whole family.

A WARNING TO GOOD SAMS:

If you find a companion animal that is obviously starving, please seek vet care immediately as Bri did. Do not give feed it too much too quickly. You can harm a starving animal with only the best of intentions. It is OK to give water in small amounts at intervals.