At midnight 3/20/19, TAF was awakened by a call from the Chicago Police Department. A dog in critical condition had just been brought into the 5th District’s police station and needed emergency medical attention. We were told that the dog was found in an alley scavenging for food. The pup was barely strong enough to stand on her own, was and emaciated and had some type of chemical on her muzzle. Knowing that the dog could not wait until the vet opened, we picked her up at 1am and brought her to the emergency vet.
Upon arriving at the emergency vet, Claire was brought right back for medical testing and x-rays of her abdomen. In the emaciated dogs we always do x-rays of their belly’s to see if they have ingested rocks, fabric or any other foreign object to make their hunger pains go away. This is why we always tell people that the worst thing they can do is feed an emaciated dog when you find them. A full belly makes it almost impossible to detect a foreign body in the stomach. Bloodwork would show that Claire was suffering from a dangerous condition called hypernatremia. This means that the salt levels in her body were dangerously elevated and off the charts. An ultrasound ruled out many causes and confirmed that Claire had been denied water for several weeks. Most likely locked in a garage or cage with no food or water. It is also believed that Claire was exposed to some sort of toxin. There was dried paint on her face so that was most likely the cause. The main goal in treating patients with hypernatremia is to replace the water and electrolytes that have been lost and restore the electrolyte balance in their body. With a special concentration of an IV fluid mixture and nasal-gastric tube, Claire’s medical team was able to provide Claire with nutrition as well as flush the sodium out of her system. This treatment needed to be done at a slow and steady pace. In fact, her medical team took blood samples every 6 hours, for days, to ensure that Claire’s body was responding appropriately to treatment.
After 6 days at the emergency vet, Claire was finally well enough to go into a foster home. It is there that she would continue her slow re-feeding regimen and continue with her physical and emotional recovery. When all was said and done, it would be a month before Claire was given a clean bill of health. With a little more time and a lot of love, Claire’s emotional healing was soon to follow.
With that being said, we are so happy to announce that Claire has found her forever home! Claire’s new mom could not be more perfect and we are so happy for the both of them. When Claire’s new mom met her for the first time, she did not blink an eye at Claire’s rambunctious puppy behavior or, at times, her lack of manners. Claire’s mom knew that they would be going to training classes and would work it out as a team. It was love at first sight and Claire’s mom was grinning ear to ear from the moment she saw her. These two were meant to be a family. The last photo in Claire’s album says it all… Claire knew that she was on her way to her forever home. TAF would like to thank everyone that donated to help save Claire. Her medical bills surpassed $7,000 and she owes her life to all of you. Also, TAF would like to thank CPD Officer Tammy Block for contacting us and keeping her safe until we could arrive. To that point, the Chicago Police Department’s 5th District for allowing Claire to hang out with them, too. Claire was very lucky to have people around the world supporting her and keeping her in their thoughts and prayers. We seriously cannot thank you enough.