SAVANNAH, GA.....Week-ends should be quiet and a time to rest. That happens to not be the case in Animal Rescue. It seems like every day something horrible is happening to a poor defenseless animal. The weekends put more urgency to animals that were picked up and brought to Animal Control. Space is limited everywhere, and if an animal is not out by the weekend, they are euthanized in a lot of shelters across America. No-Kill Shelters turn animals away daily because they are full, or they don't take Pitbulls or other breeds. I find Humane Societies and Shelters are creating more excuses daily for not helping animals and turning them away. Such is the case with adorable Baby Ruth.
On Sunday, I was doing my best to find some time to walk the dogs on the beach. My iPhone is always with me. I have too many animals in critical care and the ER staff always need to reach me in case of an emergency. We get emergency calls to Noah's Arks Rescue, and the Volunteers can't say Yes or No to an animal. I am the only one that can approve an animal coming in. I was contacted Sunday about an adorable little six-month-old Dachshund / Chihuahua Mix that was injured and needed immediate rescue. The pup had broken legs and pelvis but also had a life-threatening hernia that could kill her any minute. The people that grabbed Baby Ruth were given an estimate of $15,000. to fix her. They tried to raise the funds but couldn't and were going to have to euthanize her, so she did not suffer any longer.
I did my best to get the full story on how they ended up with her, but it was constantly changing. No one knows how this adorable, tiny pup ended up in such horrible shape. A young man said he found her in a ditch. He took her to his Grandmother that did not want to help her. The Grandmother then tried to take her to Animal Control in her area. Animal Control would not take her because she was not found in their area. The Animal Control in her area would not take her because the woman did not live in their area. A million excuses for not helping this severely injured puppy. An ad was placed I believe on Craig's List. A rescue saw it and grabbed the pup. Baby Ruth's Life was ticking away by the second. Funds were raised, but nowhere near what was needed. I don't need to tell even you, my Supporters, how full we are. I chose to take this adorable pup to give her a chance. I was IT for her, and it broke my heart Life has come to this. I had her taken immediately to the ER in Charleston.
How Baby Ruth was still alive is amazing. She was found in a ditch which means she was either hit by a car or was thrown from a car. Her injuries look more like she was thrown from a car because she is so tiny that if she had been hit she would not be here today. This adorable pup has fractured legs and pelvis and a massive hernia. The hernia is right next to the Inferior Vena Cava, which returns blood to the heart from the lower part of the body. If the hernia had been any closer, Baby Ruth would have bled to death immediately. As it stood now, the pressure from the hernia alone could cause the Vena Cava to stop functioning properly. Baby Ruth had to be stabilized before emergency surgery could be done. The hernia or dark hole was filled with her liver and guts. Our Surgeon, Dr. Au said it was the largest hernia she had ever seen.
Baby Ruth has been in Life-Saving Surgery for the last four days. She is fragile but stable. The hernia and legs have all been repaired. She now has eight weeks of bed rest to recover fully. The next two months are going to be critical for her to regain all of her ability to walk normally again. As you can see from the video, she can walk but is very reluctant to. She is allowed brief moments throughout the day to walk. The rest of the time, she will be getting extensive controlled Physical Therapy to keep her muscles from atrophying.
Baby Ruth is a little Miracle. She should not be here right now. She is skin and bones, anemic from internal bleeding and broken in so many ways but the only one that matters, her SPIRIT. She has the most amazing Spirit I have ever seen in an injured pup that is in excruciating pain. Her big ears and sweet eyes will steal your Heart the minute you see her. How could anyone allow this to happen and not help is beyond my comprehension? I would have run her to the hospital in my bare feet if I had to. Please, don't turn your back on these defenseless animals. We are all they have. Instead of making excuses for not helping, find one reason to help. The people that finally grabbed her may not have had the resources to save her, but they did what they could to save her.
I need for everyone to help us with this tiny little pup. Her Life-Saving surgeries are beyond our means with all of the animals we have taken in recently. My Amex maxed out with medical abuse cases. Don't turn your back on us and this pup. DONATE, DONATE, DONATE whatever you can and then forward to all of your Friends so they can donate. Any amount is greatly appreciated. We need all hands on deck to get out of the HOLE we are in to keep doing what we do. Thanks for caring and being part of a Community of Angels that do whatever it takes to save a Life. TOGETHER, we make the World a Better Place we can be proud of.
