Henry: The Very Good Boy Who Lived

On Tuesday, November 28, Henry sustained several bite injuries from another dog while he was being boarded. It was reported that Henry "got into it" with another dog during play time and had a "small wound on his head" and "if you have peroxide at home just put some of that on there." He was dropped off back at home later that afternoon.

By Wednesday morning Henry was limping and his face and neck were swollen. He was brought to the ER vet and was seen immediately. The vet found that he had multiple injuries, including two puncture wounds under his neck, on his hind leg, and cheek. They sedated Henry to clean the wounds and sent him home with medications and a treatment plan.

He was unable to take the medications because he wouldn't eat, and was brought back to VCA Shoreline with it was obvious that his infection was getting worse and not better. The swelling in his face was due to a cellulitis infection. By noon Thursday, Henry had become septic and was not expected to survive the night.

This fundraiser was created to help Henry receive the immediate care that he needed, which included supportive to maintain his blood pressure, glucose production, kidney function, pain, wound drainage, multiple antibiotics, and a blood transfusion. He required syringe feeding and remained in critical condition from Thursday - Saturday, when the systemic infection was finally under control and they were able to start transitioning some of his medications to oral dosages.

As he began to improve we saw a reduction in swelling, which revealed a new set of problems. The thing that made Henry's condition so critical so quickly was the bacterial infection in his wounds. While they were trying to stabilize him, the puncture wound on his cheek had become necrotic. On Sunday he had a hole the size of a half-dollar in his left cheek, and on Monday they had to perform surgery to clean out all of the dead tissue, removing a significant part of is lip/cheek.

As of Tuesday, December 5, Henry is still at the hospital. He should be coming home tonight, but this ordeal is not over. The generosity of this community is keeping Henry alive. Please consider making a contribution to his care so that Henry can continue to live out his days as the happy, healthy pup we know and love.