by A pregnant dog who nearly died after being left in labor for days has found a forever home after surviving her terrible ordeal. When rescuers with Hope Animal Rescues arrived at the Alton Animal Control shelter in Illinois and saw April, the first thing they noticed was her smell. She evidently had an infection and she was also visibly pregnant. They immediately knew the small Pit Bull mix was in serious trouble.
Alton Animal Control had been told by the woman who dropped the dog off that she had found her in a ditch. But the rescue would later learn a different story.
First they had to tend to April and rushed her to the vet, where they discovered that the dog had been in labor for days and that her puppies were already dead. They were decomposing inside of her, which was causing her to have sepsis.
Vets at Daniel-Randall Veterinary Clinic gave her an emergency C-section after which she was transferred to Veterinary Specialty Services intensive care unit. She was monitored for two days and was then rushed back a few days later when she started hemorrhaging.
“Since she was so infected, there were lesions that were left behind from the surgery, Jackie Spiker, of Hope Animal Rescues told Riverbender.com. “The doctors at Daniel-Randall did everything they could and lesions are unfortunately common.” April’s prognosis wasn’t looking good, but she hung on.
During this time, Hope Animal Rescues learned that the woman who had dropped her off at the shelter was her former owner.
The 29-year-old woman had allegedly been breeding April but apparently when she realized the puppies were maybe too big for April to deliver, she contacted another rescue group to see if they could perform a “c” section.
Hope Animal Rescues wrote on Facebook: “The facts are that when April could not deliver the puppies due to their size and her size another group was contacted who agreed to pay for the “c” section but the dog would be spayed at that time. That offer was refused because the owner wanted to continue to breed the dog. So the dog was in delivery for days unable to pass the puppies. Eventually all the puppies died inside of her and she became sepsis. It is at this point she broke the law. Her greed caused the dog to suffer.”
“It is against the law to abandon a pet, it is against the law to deny a sick pet vet care both of which she did,” they added. “When the dog was near death she did not take her to a shelter for help no she took her to animal control where the dog would have been euthanized. It just so happened that our rescue was there and fulfilled the owners responsibility by taking the poor thing to a vet. The rescue paid over 6 grand to save this poor dogs life.”
Upon learning this information, the rescue contacted authorities and a warrant was issued for April’s former owner’s arrest. She was charged with “failure to perform owner’s duties”, a misdemeanor offense. After several weeks, the woman was still not arrested, despite a warrant, but she turned herself in on June 13, 2017 and will appear for her first court date on June 30, 2017. Hope Animal Rescues plans to attend with their supporters.
Hope Animal Rescues
As for April, she continued to heal and is now happy and healthy – a far cry from when she first was rushed to the vets. It was during her care at the hospital that she made a strong impression on one of the vet techs who looked after her through her health crisis. Kate Hibbett fell in love with April and decided to adopt her.
After a trial home visit (April wore a pink tutu on the special day), April now lives with Hibbet’s family, including her two dogs.
“She did bounce back! She definitely did,” Hibbett told Fox News. “She had no life in her. Now, all she wants to do is play, get belly rubs, and eat food.”
Hope Animal Rescues
Thank goodness April pulled through and is now happy and healthy in no small part because of her rescuers! To learn more about the dogs Hope Animal Rescues has available for adoption, visit their website.
Share her story with your family and friends and please support your local animal rescues.
