For more than a week, the run-over dog stayed under a car in Malate, Manila. The bone from her right foreleg stuck out, gleaming white as she licked the blood around the open wound.
PAWS' quarantine kennels were filled to the rafters. Amputation and treatment could be arranged but there was no place for her to stay. "Would you be open to taking in and fostering a quarantine dog so that we can take her in?" we asked the lady-doctor who reported seeing the dog. The woman agreed.
So in the place of Butch, the dog, who was still being treated for his skin condition, Pebbles was taken in. "Pebbles" for the exposed bone of her injured leg which was oddly similar to the color of a shiny white pebble on the beach.
After examination, the PAWS shelter veterinarian pronounced that it would be a long road to recovery for this dog. She tested positive for heartworm and had severe anemia. Pebbles holds the record for wearing an e-collar for the longest time in the quarantine kennels: she had this collar on for four months - to keep her from gnawing at her leg as she was treated for infection, heartworm and anemia.
Amputating her bad leg seemed to have freed her from great discomfort. The day she came out of surgery was the day the doleful look in her eyes changed to one that said, "May I play now?"
Pebbles hops around in three legs with unbridled energy. You could feel her bursting from the sheer joy of being alive when you hold her close to you.
Pebbles has taught us that life is fuller and more meaningful when you overcome its greatest challenges. That there are second chances for three-legged creatures as much as for four-legged (and two-legged) ones - if you get a little help from people who care.
PAWS' quarantine kennels were filled to the rafters. Amputation and treatment could be arranged but there was no place for her to stay. "Would you be open to taking in and fostering a quarantine dog so that we can take her in?" we asked the lady-doctor who reported seeing the dog. The woman agreed.
So in the place of Butch, the dog, who was still being treated for his skin condition, Pebbles was taken in. "Pebbles" for the exposed bone of her injured leg which was oddly similar to the color of a shiny white pebble on the beach.
After examination, the PAWS shelter veterinarian pronounced that it would be a long road to recovery for this dog. She tested positive for heartworm and had severe anemia. Pebbles holds the record for wearing an e-collar for the longest time in the quarantine kennels: she had this collar on for four months - to keep her from gnawing at her leg as she was treated for infection, heartworm and anemia.
Amputating her bad leg seemed to have freed her from great discomfort. The day she came out of surgery was the day the doleful look in her eyes changed to one that said, "May I play now?"
Pebbles hops around in three legs with unbridled energy. You could feel her bursting from the sheer joy of being alive when you hold her close to you.
Pebbles has taught us that life is fuller and more meaningful when you overcome its greatest challenges. That there are second chances for three-legged creatures as much as for four-legged (and two-legged) ones - if you get a little help from people who care.
PAWS FAQS that addressed this concern:
- Who can get strays/abandoned dogs off the streets
- What to do with rescues and stray emergencies
(Click here to know what information must be sent in order to provide a complete report.) - I saw this poor (hungry/thin/mangy) kitten, dog/puppy in the street, how do I admit it into the PAWS shelter?
(Click here for the complete list of information that must be provided.) - PAWS Foster Home Program
