On Wednesday, a dog was found abandoned on the side of the road in the Houston area. A bright pink tote held her emaciated body; a quilt had been placed beneath her. Had that been an act of kindness?
Her condition was grave; her belly had been severely distended, her ribs showed prominently through her black coat while maggots crawled all over her. Her once white paws had turned brown. She was wet and in pain, and she waited for someone to help her.
She was barely alive, but she kept her head high, as if she knew she couldn’t give up. Not yet.
Cars passed by, and no one stopped. Dirty water had collected in a ditch, but had she enough strength to satisfy her thirst? How long had she been waiting for help?
Corridor Rescue Inc. immediately agreed to help her when she was discovered; she was rushed to the emergency veterinarian hospital. She was given an identify and a name of Tempest. She arrived at Vergi 24/7 under Corridor Rescue Inc.. (You can donate at Vergi’s account for Tempest. (713) 932-9589.)
When Tempest arrived at Vergi, it became painfully clear she had been suffering. She was covered in fleas and intestinal parasites. She was severely anemic. In addition she was heartworm positive, and she was in full heart failure from a massive heartworm burden. Veterinarians drained more than five liters of fluid from her abdomen to give her some relief when breathing, but she was suffering from Caval Syndrome, a devastating complication of advanced heartworm disease.
She could barely breathe and required oxygen support. Her blood sugar remained dangerously low despite IV fluids and repeated interventions. Her organs were beginning to fail. Her body was shutting down.
Of course, everyone always hopes for a miracle, and maybe Tempest could have had a few more days or longer, but she didn’t have the strength of survive. Hearts are broken. Today we grieve for Tempest. She was only three years old, and there was no doubt she had been failed by humans over and over again.
According to the veterinarians, Tempest had been suffering for a prolonged period of time before she had been abandoned in the plastic tote on the side of a country road. The tote, lined with a blanket, told us she was not a stray; she belonged to someone.
Someone knew her.
Someone watched her grow weaker.
Someone watched her struggle.
Someone watched her become too sick to stand and too weak to move.
And when caring for her became difficult, they chose to throw her away and leave her to die alone.
Last night, rescuers made the painful decision to let her go peacefully. It was the final act of love they could give her, because unlike the people who failed her before, her new family had to put her welfare first.
And what adds to the heartbreak of Tempest losing her life last night is knowing every single one of the conditions she suffered was preventable.
“Heartworm prevention could have protected her. Basic veterinary care could have changed the course of her life. Compassion could have saved her. Instead, Tempest suffered until someone decided she was no longer worth helping.”
If only rescuers could have met Tempest sooner. Her story could have been different. Her life mattered, but in her final hours, she wasn’t afraid anymore nor was she in pain. She was surrounded by people who cared.
You were not abandoned. You were not forgotten. You were loved.
Run free, Tempest. No more pain. No more fear. No more suffering.
Just peace.
Rest easy, sweet girl.
Follow the National Pet Rescue on Facebook for the latest animal related news.
