BEAUFORT, SC…Sometimes the best intentions do not translate into what is truly best for an animal. Adorable Rocky is a 3-year-old Yorkie rescued from an abusive situation by a neighbor who wanted nothing but the best for this tiny pup.
Unfortunately, because of the abuse and neglect he had endured, Rocky struggled in his new home—especially with the family’s 5-year-old son. He would lunge and bite whenever the child reached for one of his toys, reacting out of fear and insecurity. When the family could no longer manage the situation, they reached out to us for help, and I agreed to take him knowing this was a difficult situation for this precious little dog.
Rocky loved the grandparents and wanted nothing more than to lay in their laps all day. They were the ones who met me to hand him over. The moment I saw him, my heart sank. This sweet dog was skin and bones—about a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. I was told he was a picky eater and that they were following the exact feeding amounts recommended by their vet.
I held Rocky in my shirt the entire ride back to our rehab facility, and sweet does not even begin to describe him—gentle, trusting, and so loving. Halfway home, I knew we could not wait and took him straight to the vet to rule out parasites or any underlying condition that could explain his rapid weight loss.
Rocky stayed in the hospital while we ran bloodwork, scans—everything to make sure we were not missing anything. The results told a very simple story: Rocky needed food. His bloodwork reflected a dog that had not been receiving enough nourishment for quite some time. He did have a small amount of parasites, but not enough to cause this level of weight loss.
As Dr. MariKay explained, he simply was not getting enough calories to support his metabolism. Somewhere along the way, Rocky was not getting the food he needed. It’s hard to know exactly how this happened, but the result was the same—this tiny pup was starving. The only good news is that the family reached out for help when they could no longer manage the situation. Without intervention, Rocky likely would not have made it much longer.
Today, Rocky is thriving. We carefully managed his refeeding while monitoring for refeeding syndrome and slowly increasing his intake. He has been treated for parasites, neutered, and had a dental to address his teeth and gum issues.
He now eats a normal, healthy amount of food and loves every bite. Most importantly, Rocky is happy, safe, and finally living the life he always deserved.
Please help us cover Rocky’s medical expenses so we can continue to help dogs like him—dogs who simply ended up in the wrong situation and needed a second chance to thrive.
