A sad update to our story about Sarah. A day after her spay surgery she began to show some discomfort which worsened overnight. By the next morning she was in obvious pain and we rushed her to the vet. The diagnosis was a gastric torsion, an emergency condition where the stomach is distended by gas and twists on itself. Sarah began to fail fast. Bloodwork showed her kidneys were already shutting down. The difficult decision was made to free her from her pain and let her go. According to the vet, it’s possible Sarah also had some other underlying conditions that added to her quick downturn. Regardless, we were crushed at the turn of events.
We wanted to give Sarah a long, happy life. Instead we’ll have to settle for the few short weeks she was able to enjoy thanks to her foster mom, Cathie. Our gratitude to Dr. Durrence at Monroe Animal Care Hospital for working with Sarah and helping us navigate emotions to do the right thing for this kindhearted girl.
RIP sweet Sarah.
Sweet Sarah was in the Newton County shelter with the deck already stacked against her – she’s a big black dog. It’s a well-known fact in the rescue industry that black dogs are harder to adopt, maybe because they’re not as eye-catching as their more colorful counterparts. The white hairs around her muzzle make her look older, but merely match the white hairs around her chest, legs and feet. Sarah is only about 6 – 7 years old, with lots of life and love left to give.
Sarah’s gentle disposition won over the shelter employees and they campaigned hard on her behalf. Giving her chances an extra boost, a local business offered to pay the adoption fee for anyone interested in taking this loving girl home. Balloons and colorful attention-getting signs went up on her cage. Her photo went out on social media and people shared Sarah’s kind and happy face. Hopes went up and days went by.
A rescue came to look at her and asked the shelter to do a heartworm test. The results of that one simple bloodtest caused her possibilities to come crashing down – Sarah tested positive for heartworms.
The reality was that no one was going to adopt Sarah. Heartworm treatment for a big dog like her can cost $500 and up. The rescue passed her by for other dogs. The balloons and signs came down. She was scheduled to be euthanized.
But Sarah tugged at our heartstrings the day we visited the shelter. When we sat on her cold kennel floor, she crept over and laid her head in our lap, looking at us with those beautiful brown eyes. We just couldn’t say no.
Sarah has started the initial stages of her heartworm treatment – a 60 day regimen. It’s expensive, but what’s the cost of love? Sarah’s kind, loving disposition has won over everyone she meets. There’s no doubt this girl deserved her second chance. We’re privileged to give it to her.
