Lisa Hamilton is fundraising
Dahlia needs your help
3/17/19 10:07 am
I am asking for your help for this sweet dog who is fighting for her life.
Female boxer, as she was called, was found lying in a ditch after presumably being hit by a car. That image alone haunts me. She was taken to Animal Friends of the Valleys where she received medical care from their veterinary team and she was found to have a severely fractured femur. They started her on good pain control and set out to find a family who was hopefully desperately looking for this sweet dog. After the second day it was looking as if no family was to be found and AFV reached out to several rescue groups in hopes of securing a transfer to a rescue who could provide the needed surgery to repair the fracture. She was also starting to decline in health and refused to eat but would drink water copiously. As you know, Last Chance at Life Rescue's niche in the rescue world is medical needs pets in shelters and we have a special fondness for the boxer breed. The Board of Directors agreed that this dog needed us and we set aside some funds to cover her fracture repair surgery.
Friday at 3 pm was the time that was established where we could transfer her from Animal Friends of the Valley to Last Chance at Life after her stray hold was complete. So I hopped in the truck and headed to Wildomar to retrieve her. Once I arrived and met her, the staff and I realized that something besides her fracture was causing her discomfort. We loaded her up and I immediately headed to VCA Mission Animal and Bird Hospital. Once we arrived, the team at the hospital began some diagnostic lab work, xrays, and ultrasound and started her on IV fluids and pain medications as she was severely dehydrated and in pain.
One of the worst things I could imagine happening to this poor dog became worse as we realized that she not only had a fractured femur but a ruptured bladder due to the trauma of being hit by a car. Her abdomen was filled with urine and her kidney values were through the roof. So now, her fracture repair was secondary to getting her stable enough to withstand surgery to repair her bladder as that was life threatening and the fracture was not.
She has spent that last 42 hours in critical condition and we pondered euthanasia. But her face while she rests and her obvious will to live have given us a reason to give her that chance. She is showing improvement this morning. We have named her Dahlia, we love her and will do everything we can to give her that chance.
3/17/19 4:43 pm She is as stable as she is going to get and headed to surgery to repair her bladder. Be strong Dahlia
3/17/19 6:05 pm She is in recovery and did so well during surgery ! Her vitals stayed strong thanks to OR tech Ryan Openshaw, RVT. Bladder was repaired, spleen removed and we spayed her for good measure while we were in there. Dr Tracy Frey of softsurg.com and Dahlia's primary veterinarian at VCA Mission Animal and Bird Hospital, Dr Julia Hyatt, were rock stars in the OR. She will be monitored closely overnight and we will have another update in the morning as well as some photos of her surgery compliments of BG PhoDOGraphy's Niccola Bergendorff. Once she is recovered from this procedure, hoping all goes well, we will repair her fractured leg.
Our sincerest gratitude to the knowledgeable and compassionate team at VCA Mission Animal and Bird Hospital for doing everything they can medically to help her pull through.
If you are able to help us raise money to cover her medical care, we would be forever grateful.
Be strong Dahlia, keep fighting like there is no tomorrow and we will make sure you want for nothing ever again.
I am asking for your help for this sweet dog who is fighting for her life.
Female boxer, as she was called, was found lying in a ditch after presumably being hit by a car. That image alone haunts me. She was taken to Animal Friends of the Valleys where she received medical care from their veterinary team and she was found to have a severely fractured femur. They started her on good pain control and set out to find a family who was hopefully desperately looking for this sweet dog. After the second day it was looking as if no family was to be found and AFV reached out to several rescue groups in hopes of securing a transfer to a rescue who could provide the needed surgery to repair the fracture. She was also starting to decline in health and refused to eat but would drink water copiously. As you know, Last Chance at Life Rescue's niche in the rescue world is medical needs pets in shelters and we have a special fondness for the boxer breed. The Board of Directors agreed that this dog needed us and we set aside some funds to cover her fracture repair surgery.
Friday at 3 pm was the time that was established where we could transfer her from Animal Friends of the Valley to Last Chance at Life after her stray hold was complete. So I hopped in the truck and headed to Wildomar to retrieve her. Once I arrived and met her, the staff and I realized that something besides her fracture was causing her discomfort. We loaded her up and I immediately headed to VCA Mission Animal and Bird Hospital. Once we arrived, the team at the hospital began some diagnostic lab work, xrays, and ultrasound and started her on IV fluids and pain medications as she was severely dehydrated and in pain.
One of the worst things I could imagine happening to this poor dog became worse as we realized that she not only had a fractured femur but a ruptured bladder due to the trauma of being hit by a car. Her abdomen was filled with urine and her kidney values were through the roof. So now, her fracture repair was secondary to getting her stable enough to withstand surgery to repair her bladder as that was life threatening and the fracture was not.
She has spent that last 42 hours in critical condition and we pondered euthanasia. But her face while she rests and her obvious will to live have given us a reason to give her that chance. She is showing improvement this morning. We have named her Dahlia, we love her and will do everything we can to give her that chance.
3/17/19 4:43 pm She is as stable as she is going to get and headed to surgery to repair her bladder. Be strong Dahlia
3/17/19 6:05 pm She is in recovery and did so well during surgery ! Her vitals stayed strong thanks to OR tech Ryan Openshaw, RVT. Bladder was repaired, spleen removed and we spayed her for good measure while we were in there. Dr Tracy Frey of softsurg.com and Dahlia's primary veterinarian at VCA Mission Animal and Bird Hospital, Dr Julia Hyatt, were rock stars in the OR. She will be monitored closely overnight and we will have another update in the morning as well as some photos of her surgery compliments of BG PhoDOGraphy's Niccola Bergendorff. Once she is recovered from this procedure, hoping all goes well, we will repair her fractured leg.
Our sincerest gratitude to the knowledgeable and compassionate team at VCA Mission Animal and Bird Hospital for doing everything they can medically to help her pull through.
If you are able to help us raise money to cover her medical care, we would be forever grateful.
Be strong Dahlia, keep fighting like there is no tomorrow and we will make sure you want for nothing ever again.
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