Emaciated Great Dane Shelter Dog "Sammy" Vet Bills

Judith Chapman is organizing this fundraiser to benefit Hanks Legacy Foundation.

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TRIGGER WARNING (TW). Please do not read further if you might be upset by what humans can do to an animal. My advice is to just stop here and if you wish to make a donation to Hank's Legacy Foundation, an incredible and deserving non-profit 501c3 Rescue organization, please do and accept my gratitude. Your gift will go to #45634 "Sammy" and other animals saved by Hank's. But, you don't know me and you may not have heard of "Hank's Legacy" either. I'm nobody special. Sometimes I give a shelter dog a ride to their new foster home, sometimes I do some fostering while a dog waits for their new forever family. Sometimes, I fall in love and "foster-fail", adopting the dog myself. Sometimes, a dog has no place to go and shelters are full.... sometimes, I pay that dog a visit and give him a little bit of love knowing they will be euthanized, and there's nothing more I can do. Lately, there have been SO many strays and owner surrenders that shelters are full..... rescues are full..... everyone is overwhelmed. It has never been like this before. Rescues are out of space, out of money and some that have been around for years are shutting down. It is bad.

Lately, in an effort to help, I have been going to shelters to get pictures and video of dogs in need. I specifically love and know Great Danes. They don't live very long and they are delicate.... mentally and physically. They are needy and naughty and adorable all at once. I have loved many and lost many..... but this one is different.

The Inland Valley Humane Society & SPCA (IVHSSpca) reached out to one of the Great Dane organizations I volunteer for. They, in turn, reached out to me because I happen to live nearby. They said there is an Emaciated female Great Dane and she cannot be publicly adopted because she is to skinny to spay. Since she cannot be spayed, she was given "Rescue-Only" status. My job was to take some pictures so she could be shared on Facebook and Instagram so a Rescue organization could take her, feed her, have her spayed and adopt her out. The person on the other end of the phone told me she's "Emaciated". "Yeah, they're ALL skinny", I said as I wrote down her I.D. number.... #45634. "I'm sure she's fine."

It sounds cold. "They're ALL skinny." Maybe it is. But, they ARE all skinny. Great Danes are very delicate. When they are in a shelter situation they get stressed. They drop weight quickly. Once they are in a home they put weight back on quickly. They ARE fine. In this particular case, I was wrong.

They usually have an I.D. number and the shelter gives them a name too. This girl had no name. Just the number, #45634. No matter, most shelter names are changed anyway. I was busy, I would just snap a couple of pictures, upload them and be on my way. Job done! Or, so I thought....

I took one look at this girl and she wasn't a dog. She was a skeleton. She was literally a dog skeleton with skin stretched *TIGHTLY* over the bones. Nothing more. She was weak and terrified. She had very little strength but somehow was standing... and walking.... BARELY. She would stumble with her back legs and nearly fall. Her tail remained TIGHTLY tucked the entire time I was there. She was terrified. This wasn't the normal skinny Great Dane I was used to seeing in the shelter. This was more- Much more. This was the most emaciated dog I have ever seen alive. I have seen dead ones that looked better than her. As terrified and mistreated as this dog clearly was.... she was gently going to people so they could pet her. My immediate thought was that I couldn't leave this dog here. This was not just the regular snap a couple of pictures and upload them and someone would rescue her..... no. I couldn't leave her. I had to take her. But, how? I am not a rescue. I am a nobody foster, sometimes driver of dogs.... All the rescues I know are full. But I could NOT leave this dog. Unfortunately, I had to. The shelter was closing. I was CERTAIN she wouldn't survive until Monday.

Should you choose to DONATE to Shelter Dog #45634 "SAMMY" Care and Vet Fund, please accept our deepest gratitude. Hanks Legacy Foundation, is a Non-profit 501c3 Tax-Deductible Animal Rescue. Please stay tuned for updates.

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Day #1: She is So Much Worse than She Looks.

The Original Facebook Post for #45634 Read: Gorgeous MATURE Great Dane female at Inland Valley Humane Society in Pomona, California needs rescue partner.

This dog had been starved for a long time and possibly her entire life. She has been starved for so long she has very little muscle mass and her teeth are rotting. Her original estimated age was that of a geriatric dog due to the rotten teeth, the patchy and dull fur coat and the lack of core muscles. But, she has less grey on her face than my 3.5 year old Dane. How is this possible?

I promised her I would be back. They were closed on Sunday. Monday morning I was there before they opened. I had a leash in my hand but I was preparing myself to hear: "I am sorry, but she did not survive...." ".... she was in such poor condition...." ".... she was suffering and we needed to humanely euthanize......" It has happened before. I have made promises in other shelters I was unable to keep. Nothing would have surprised me except...... that she was still ALIVE! I kept my promise to her. But, she was as skinny as ever.

I was willing to Foster this young girl but I needed a Rescue Partner to back her. Everyone is full... beyond full. Nobody I knew was taking dogs. Especially Great Danes. I had fostered for Shelby (Hank's Legacy Foundation) quite a few times in the past. But, she was taking a much needed break. She rescued "Ace", a beautiful Great Dane that somebody decided to drag behind their truck by his front leg. Of course, it was an accident. But leaving him in the backyard for 3 weeks while his shattered leg rotted and became infested with maggots, wasn't. She took Ace and had the rotting mass of maggots and flesh that was once his leg removed. He did great on 3 legs. He was a young pup after all. He did well as a Tri-Pawd. He had issues. He was food-aggressive, and not everyone wants a three legged dog. But, she loved him with all his quirks, and he lived with her. She saved him once. Then he bloated one day. She recognized the signs and immediately took him to the emergency vet. She had saved Ace yet again. Then one day, while he was tearing around the yard on his three legs....she couldn't. He had blown out both knees. He was BIG. The added force on his remaining legs was just too much. He only had one good leg left. He had been through so much. She couldn't put him through two more surgeries. She had no choice but to humanely euthanize him. She was destroyed.... had to take a step back. I promised myself I would step back and let her heal.

A few months had passed. I knew she was still not ready. But, I wouldn't have forgiven myself if I didn't exhaust every option. I would just ask.... G-E-N-T-L-Y.

I asked if she would "....consider possibly being Rescue-Back for #45634 if I would be her Foster." I sent her a picture. Her response, "Holy Sh*t.... Yes."

There was paperwork that needed to be done. The shelter allowed me to Foster her through the shelter until all the paperwork was submitted and approved. I was able to take her home and start the healing process.

She was found as a stray and has clearly been this way for some time. She is severely emaciated and has lost not only her body fat but muscle mass as well. She was not treated kindly. She has open wounds on her legs and tail. She has old scars and patches of fur missing all over. Her ears have evidence of healed fly-strikes. Her teeth are rotten. She is NOT in good shape and has probably NEVER known a warm bed or regular meals.

Overgrown Nails and Scars/Wounds

Old Scars, Newer Wounds and Leg Swelling

Tail and Rear Leg Wounds

Facial Scars and Sunken Eyes

Strange Ear Wounds (Old)

She had many open wounds on her body. Some were infected. I had to clean her even though she was afraid or her wounds would never heal. Bathing her took HOURS. I had to go slow. But, it also had to be done. While I was washing her belly I noticed she had something black on her rear two nipples. So I got a larger hand full of soap and began to remove what was crusted up on them. I was pulling chunks of the black material off slowly so I didn't scare her or hurt her. Then, to my horror I realized I was not pulling the black "off" her nipples.....those WERE her nipples. How in the world would they become black like that? It looked like frostbite... but that wouldn't make any sense. Did someone do this to her??? It is clearly an old injury. She did not appear to be in pain. Just frightened. They were not infected. They did not smell gangrenous. I just don't know.

Yes. This is a Dog Nipple Pic

See how chunks of the nipple are actually coming off? There is a raw hole. Where her nipple should be intact.

Shelter Dog #45634 is Given a Name

My husband picked up my 6 year old son from school. On the way home he told our boy of the new Rescue. He was warned that she is sick and skinny. Children are funny. They do not seem to care about such things. He was happy to have a new friend. "What is her name?" he asked. I informed him that she has a number, #45634. She has no name that we are aware of. "I know her name," he said. "Her name is Samantha Victor." I have learned to not question the mind of a 6 year old. We call her "Sammy" for short.

Emaciated for a Long Time

She Needed to be Quarantined

Poor Sammy was in such rough shape that she had to be separated from my two Great Danes. Partially because I didn't want Sammy getting anything from them she could not fight off but mainly because my dogs LOVE to play. They are big. They play big. Poor Sammy could barely handle the two steps in my backyard. So, baby gates had to be installed. The two-story baby gate is necessary because one of my dogs can jump a baby gate with ease. The other? Not so much.

The first night she fell asleep cuddling her food dish.

I want to offer my DEEPEST gratitude to all of the AMAZING staff at Ivhsspca.org in Pomona California for doing right by this girl. They tried to find an underlying health-related cause for her condition. They did full body x-rays to look for cancer or a foreign body in her GI tract. There were none. They did a full blood panel and only found abnormalities consistent with long-term emaciation. She has been dewormed. She weighs 80 lbs.

DAY 3: Shelter Dog #45634 is OFFICIALLY Rescued by Hank's Legacy Foundation

The paperwork has gone through and "Sammy" is Officially Rescued by Hank's Legacy Foundation. The CEO & Founder, Shelby, kindly entrusted me as continuing as Sammy's foster.

Sammy is so weak. She got stuck on some stairs. She is also terrified. We are working on making her more comfortable.

DAY#4: First Veterinarian Visit

Shelby and I were looking forward to Sammy's first visit with the vet. We were both convinced something more was going on than just a simple case of needing extra food.

I walked in to the vet office and immediately noticed all eyes were on her. I made sure the people that were staring knew I wasn't the one that did this to her. The receptionist asked what I was having her seen for today..... I did not know where to begin. I just made a hand motion towards Sammy and said, "all of it...." I was at a loss for words. I said the shelter had called, and said she was too skinny to spay and requested we take her. One of the vets who was behind the counter and did not see us walk in immediately gasped and came around to see. He was shocked. He had no words for what he was seeing. Just kind of made a grunting type of acknowledgement... yes, too skinny.

While we waited in the room I heard a lot of commentary from the back like, "Oh wow, she's rough." Other people came in to see the dog that was declared "Rough". There were no opinions that differed. Some were sad. Some were angry. Some just shook their head. She was "rough".

You would think a dog in this condition would be crouched in the corner, growling and biting anything that moved. On the contrary, Sammy still loved and Sammy still trusted. Why? I don't know. But she did... she does. She has clearly been beaten. If I forget and pet her on the top of the head like my personal dogs she will cower.... but then she immediately comes back as if to say, "Lets try again. I want your affection." She certainly received affection at the vet. Probably more than she has ever had.

This particular vet is a teaching hospital. They are good. I have been to many, many vets. I am happy with them and their treatment of my dogs. The first vet came in.... she is a student. She had a good poker face. She was probably unaware this was a shelter dog I just picked up. Or, maybe she has seen dogs in this condition before. She wasted no time. She offered herself to this dog and Sammy leaned in as if they were old friends.

She took Sammy's vitals, giving her more cuddles and kisses in the process. I asked for the blood tests Shelby wanted them to run and pointed out her swollen leg and wounds. She said she would run an estimate and be back with the doctor.

The vet (the one with the ponytail) came in and stood about 3 feet away from Sammy....she was clearly searching for words, but none were coming. An uncomfortably long amount of time had passed and she was still searching for the words....so I asked, "Are you trying to figure out how Sammy got this way?"

She said, "Sometimes, I really just don't like people, and I'm going to cry."

She then bent down slowly, so she wouldn't scare Sammy, petting her on the shoulder as she knelt down. She could tell Sammy was sweet and they both ended up forehead to forehead. I am not sure what she was whispering to Sammy- and I didn't ask. It was not for me to know.

The vet began her examination of Sammy. No fever. Heart and lungs sound good. She ran her hands over Sammy's gaunt body and down the legs. I pointed to her swollen front leg and the wounds all over. This poor dog is literally a mess. Her ears, inside and out...her eyes.... she has wounds and scars everywhere....her teeth are rotting....but the biggest concern right now is the swelling on her wrist. The vet says it has a hard center....

I informed the vet that x rays and bloodwork were done at the shelter but we never received them. We only got notes that she was anemic and her albumin was low. The vet stressed, "I NEED to see those x-rays", as she continued to hold Sammy's swollen leg. "There is something hard...." Then she looked up at me to see if I knew what she was talking about....because she didn't want to say the words. This dog had already been through so much.

She didn't need to say the words. I am glad she didn't, because I didn't want to hear them. I knew EXACTLY what she was talking about. I didn't want to say it either. We had an unspoken understanding. No other testing mattered if the x-rays show what neither of us wants to see. I quickly texted Shelby and asked if she ever received the x-ray photos. "No, just the report. It didn't show anything." I texted Shelby the Doctor's concerns.... never typing the actual word everyone was afraid to say. I did not need to. Shelby knew.

Shelby knew our plans for this sweet dog could change dramatically depending on what that one grayscale picture showed. "Run a new set." Shelby said. We need to know. I told the doctor what Shelby wanted to do. They went into the back room and Sammy trustingly followed.

Shelby and I texted each other while we waited. I think she knew I was nervous about what the new x-rays would show. I felt awful. I begged Hanks Legacy Foundation- the AMAZING Shelby, who already had SO MUCH on her plate to rescue this dog. The amazing woman who said "Yes!" She just lost "Ace" and could soon lose another. I felt awful. I apologized profusely.

I was Angry. Is it possible we didn't receive the actual images because something was being hidden? I recently saw a dog at a different shelter have x-rays that did not match the report. The report from x-rays of the pelvis said NSF (No Significant Findings). I looked at the x-rays. The dog had a broken pelvis. I confirmed with my veterinary orthopedist what I was seeing was in fact a broken pelvis. It was. Was it simply a mistake? I don't know.

Anger is an easy emotion. Was something being hidden? Was something accidentally missed? I was attached to this dog- my little boy was attached to this dog. Would I have taken her into my home if I knew she was on death's door? I probably would have if I lived alone. But, my sweet son. He had lost his best friend, Remington, to Osteosarcoma only a couple of years ago. It was ugly. It was awful. I trusted the wrong vets and made the wrong choices. I wouldn't make the same choices again. I wouldn't subject my son to things a 6 year old should NEVER see.....

Shelby was calm, loving, and kind. She said, "If this dog is dying, nothing changes. If she has 2 weeks left- it's going to be the absolute best 2 weeks. And, she will know love, she will know family, she will have a warm bed.....and she DOESN'T die in a shelter.

A sense of calm washed over me as I waited for the vets to give us the news. We were doing the right thing. This dog would know love, and family, and warmth. Whether she knew it for 2 weeks or 2 years or more- it didn't matter. She would know it.

Shelby offered to take Sammy when it was *time*, so my son would not have to be subjected to watching her die. I thanked her for giving me that option. I knew I probably wouldn't take it though. In my mind that would be like lying to my son. Our relationship is not like that. He trusts me because I am honest with him. If Sammy only has 2 weeks he will know. I will show him the x-rays and explain exactly why she is dying. She will die in my home, surrounded by family. As it should be..... quiet and calm. My son will be given the option to be present. It will be his choice.

The x-rays were done. Sammy was so sweet and calm with the veterinary staff she did not need to be sedated. She was a happy girl and I was informed she had a belly full of treats. Under different circumstances I would want to hear about the happy sweet dog and the tummy full of treats. "X-Rays!" I blurted out. "What did they show?"

The vet reading the x-rays noted an abnormality (bone-like area) on her right front leg at the top of the swelling. She said it doesn't have the typical appearance of Osteosarcoma, but she wanted the radiologist to look at it when she comes in on Tuesday or Wednesday. "NOOOOO!!"

Chest X-rays are clear.

Day#5: Sammy is Having a Hard Time

Although Sammy seemed to enjoy her very own room, her very own King size bed and her very own fluffy comforter when she was actually on the bed, she was having a hard time getting on the mattress. I was worried about messing up her forelimbs even more but also did not want her to struggle at all. This was supposed to be a place where she could heal.

She was allowed to climb onto the bed if she wanted but I thought she would prefer a very firm sofa cushion we call "The Pouf". It is very firm but short enough she barely has to step up on it. She prefers it to the bed- at least for now. Her choice.

The Vet Called Back......

So...... the specialist read Sammy's X-Rays and she "does not believe it is Osteosarcoma" but we need to keep a close eye on things. Especially if it appears to be getting bigger. Well, that does NOT sound very promising. I tend to be extremely unlucky with this type of thing..... so I am just crossing my fingers and keeping an eye on her wrists a VERY close eye..... maybe a paranoid eye.....

Day #7: She is Perkier Today

Ever since I met Sammy, she had this "spacy" look in her eyes. I don't really know how to describe it except she just did not look completely there mentally. She was clearly afraid too, but this was something different. Today, I noticed a *Spark* behind her eyes. She was definitely perkier today. She still walked with that hunched body, but her tail was not tucked quite as tightly today. I was starting to see the REAL Sammy.

She is even wagging her tail!

Day#8: She is Playing with Toys!

Ok, so she is not exactly "playing" with toys. She is walking around with them though. Baby steps. She walks around with them and most of the time puts them in her water dish. We have quite a few wet toys.

Day#11: Sammy's Body Condition Gradually Improves

Sammy seems perkier and her personality seems to come out more and more every day. Although she is still quite thin I think she is looking pretty good! I am not ready to walk her yet because I am still hoping the forelegs will heal more, but if I did I don't think I would get the comments I received when I first brought her home.

We are also still working on playing with toys and just being a DOG! Sammy is still working on things but she clearly "wants" to play with toys. She is just unsure if she is allowed.... and honestly, I really don't think she knows how. She is intrigued by the squeaky chicken toy. She presses it with her snout to make the squeak. She will not yet pick it up on her own.

UPDATE: 01/09/24. Sammy is a different dog- literally! She is playful and happy. She does zoomies all over the yard. She loves to dig in the dirt. I allow her to do do because it makes her happy. The swelling on her front legs is almost gone and the open wounds have turned to scars. She's still so sweet. She is so happy her tail constantly wags. She loves to roll in the grass. She still doesn't know "sit" but that's ok.