The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Hope, the emaciated dog, getting better
Veterinarians remove small stuffed animal from emaciated dog’s intestines
After veterinarians removed a stuffed animal from Hope’s intestine, the emaciated pit/ lab mix is in high spirits.
BRANFORD >> After veterinarians removed a small stuffed animal from Hope’s intestine Wednesday, the emaciated pit/ lab mix is in high spirits.
“As of yesterday evening, she was walking around wagging her tail. She was so funny because I brought her out to my car to get something and she jumped in my car and was curious and sniffing around. What a difference 10 days makes,” said Laura Burban, director of the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter.
On March 6, the 30-pound dog, later named Hope, was brought to the shelter after a woman said she found her walking near the Big Y Plaza in Branford.
Hope was found in grave condition. She had just enough loose skin to cover her skeleton. Bed sores continue to cover her paws, elbows and buttock bones.
By March 10, Hope’s body temperature had stabilized and she had gained nearly 10 pounds. Hope had even started to walk again, Burban said.
But after these small steps of improvement, Hope’s health began to deteriorate the following day.
She started vomiting and was unable to hold down any food. Tests later showed her liver was not diluting properly and her pancreas is inflamed. Her other organs, however, appear to be stable, Burban said.
An ultrasound done Monday revealed Hope had an unknown foreign object in her intestine, Burban said. An endoscopy completed Wednesday revealed it was a stuffed animal that was blocking her intestines.
“When they did the endoscopy, they were able to put a hook on the end of it and pull the stuffed animal up through that way because Hope was not going to be strong enough for surgery,” Burban said. “Our biggest fear Tuesday going in Wednesday was if there was something in there that they could not remove and it ended up blocking her, then we were going to be in the position that she could die because she is blocked or she could die if we put her through surgery. It was a really dicey time.”
While Hope had to undergo anesthesia to have the procedure done, Burban said the risks were far less than the dangers surgery posed.
Three days after the procedure, Burban said Hope is stable and even has a spring in her step.
“We are so excited. She had such a great day yesterday,” Burban said. “By next Friday, I will be feeling like we will be turning a corner.”
Hope continues to receive around-the-clock care. Within the coming weeks, Burban said shelter staff is hoping Hope’s blood work stabilizes and her body begins to heal.
“By next Friday, it will be coming close to that threeweek mark. I am hoping at that point, her blood work will start to level out, so we can say that her body is rejuvenating itself, it’s accepting the food, it’s accepting the water and she is finally on that road to recovery,” Burban said.
Since Hope was brought into the shelter nearly two weeks ago, her story has been told across the state and country. People locally and worldwide have been reaching out to offer their support for Hope, Burban previously said.
“The entire state has come together. We have people from every different section of the state coming to the shelter or calling. And it goes beyond us. We have people reaching out from Chicago, Hawaii. We have people from Texas and Georgia, someone from Louisiana and the United Kingdom,” Burban previously said. “There are people who are reaching out to us all over saying ‘We will do anything we need to get Hope better.’”
The shelter is offering a $9,000 reward — which is combined of donated money and a $5,000 PETA contribution — for information leading to the arrest of the person allegedly responsible for the dog’s condition. John Frisco will run a fundraiser for Hope from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday at his Frisco’s Pizza at 383 Forbes Avenue in New Haven,
Tips can be made anonymously by calling the shelter at 203-315-4125. Anyone wishing to donate to Hope or the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter can make donations through Paypal at branfordanimalshelter. org or by mailing checks or supplies to 749 E. Main St., Branford, 06405.