Help for Hope - An Abandoned Breeding Dog in EGR
Donation protected
I'm helping to raise money for Hope, an emaciated / starved dog that was found crawling out of the woods in East Grand Rapids this morning, too weak to make it across the street on her own. Hope's story is below. Updates can now be found here:
My husband and a few neighbors spotted Hope, stopped traffic, and got her to safety on the sidewalk where she took a few gulps of water and then flopped her face in the water bowl, too exhausted to raise her head again.
The police and animal wellfare were contacted, but did not give us much hope for Hope, so a wonderful woman named Rachel, who works for our park district, decided to scoop up Hope and get her to Cascade Animal Hospital, which is where she is currently being treated.
Cascade confirmed that Hope has no microchip and suspects that she was used for breeding as they can tell she has had many litters. They asked Rachel to give the dog a name and she picked Hope, as the vet has hope that Hope might be able to recover.
Should Hope recover, Rachel has generously agreed to take this dog in as her own, or to responsibly work with an organization to have Hope placed in a loving home. By taking her to the vet, she is also responsible for Hope's vet bills, which I'm hopeful our community will contribute towards. So far, this is what we know from the vet:
- Estimated to be 7 yrs old
- Believed to be used as a breeding dog and dumped
- Has been administered fluids
- Her lab work showed low blood sugar, she has perked up with sugar water
- She has skin infections that are being treated
- Her white cell count is high, unsure if this is from the skin infections or other issues - this is being investigated
- She is being monitored for kidney disease
- Looks to have rocks in her stomach (not uncommon for starving dogs to eat rocks)
- She will remain overnight at the vet for treatment, tests and monitoring
At this point, we have no idea what the cost or long-term prognosis will be for Hope. I started this fundraiser as I do not want to see Rachel shouldering the vet bill, which I anticipate will be into the four-figures. All money received from this Go Fund Me will go towards Hope's vet bills and care. If there are extra funds, we will donate those to Rachel's animal rescue of choice. I will continue to update this Go Fund Me page as we learn more.
A big thank you to all the concerned citizens on the scene this morning - Wendy, Emily, Carmel, Jim.
Update 1: Because Cascade Animal Hospital doesn't have overnight staff, they are assisting Rachel in getting Hope transferred to the Animal Emergency and Specialty Hospital this evening.
Hope requires constant monitoring and fluids and will potentially need a feeding tube and an ultrasound.
Hope is not out of the woods. We are all pulling for her and I'll keep the updates coming. We don't know what the total cost for all this care will be and while we have exceeded the initial goal on GFM, I anticipate every cent will be needed. Between 24/7 monitoring, potential surgery, and spay, I'm now anticipating costs to climb towards five-digits and have upped the goal to reflect this.
If there are excess funds, they will go to a local rescue that regularly sees this kind of unfortunate situation.
All of us on Team Hope are overwhelmed by the support and gratitude of this community. Please keep the good vibes and/or prayers coming for our girl. She desperately needs all of the above.
So much gratitude to Rachel and Cascade Animal Hospital!
Update 2: It's 10pm on Fri 6/2. Hope had a successful transfer and is sleeping peacefully at the Animal Emergency Hospital. I will provide another update on Hope's condition on Saturday.
Organizer and beneficiary
Emilee Bond
Organizer
Grand Rapids, MI
Help for Hope
Beneficiary