by An old dog rescued from the heat is amazing her rescuers with her will to survive. Stray Rescue of St. Louis was called by Good Samaritans about a stray dog as “old as the hills” who had collapsed on the streets in the hot weather. The Good Samaritan had seen the dog’s picture on Facebook with a comment that the dog was dying and went out to help.
Thankfully, the people that came to Tuscany’s aid had given the poor old girl some water and stayed by her side until help arrived.
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
Donna Lochmann carefully picked Tuscany up, noting the dog still had energy to wag her tail, and placed her in the back of her vehicle. But the dog was so weak that she needed help lying down.
When Donna and her team got Tuscany back to the shelter they were worried about heat, dehydration, and how skinny she was. But they learned that they had a lot more to worry about. “…what we would soon discover would be even worse…As our Veterinarian began examining Tuscany, she discovered bite wounds all over her legs, her belly, her armpit. Her skin was sloughing off,” the rescuers wrote on Facebook. “In addition, she is anemic and in need of an emergency blood transfusion. On top of everything else, she is also in kidney failure.”
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
Poor Tuscany!
Luckily, one of the dogs at the shelter, adoptable Fury, was on hand to help provide an emergency blood transfusion (he saved another dog named Nugget as well). Tuscany also had a good night’s sleep and in the morning she had an appetite and wanted to eat.
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
“How can we love this little dog we just met so much already? Whatever she needs, we are here for her,” Stray Rescue of St. Louis wrote. Just seeing Tuscany lift her head and eat is a miracle. “Dogs amaze us every single day,” the rescuers say. “Their stories bring us to our knees. But then we see them fighting so hard to live – to be loved.”
No doubt Tuscany is not yet out of the woods and has a long recovery ahead of her, but Stray Rescue of St. Louis will be there for her. “We’re not sure how long she has been on her own, trying to navigate and survive the streets,” they wrote. “But it is so hard out there. Especially for a senior dog who should be enjoying all the comforts of a loving home.”
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
They added, “They are facing the relentless heat, they are trying to find food and water, avoid fleas and ticks, dodge callous humans, and stay out of the way of other hungry dogs doing their best to survive. It’s such a lonely, scary existence out there, which is why we’re so happy Tuscany is here, with us.
“We will give her everything she needs, both medically and emotionally,” Stray Rescue of St. Louis said. “Even if she doesn’t have much time left (our vet estimated her to be about 12 years old), we want to shower her in all the love she deserves and has been missing until now.”
To help support Stray Rescue of St. Louis visit: www.strayrescue.org/theheatup
