Category Archives: Broken Ribs

R.I.P. Sweet Annie

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It is with a very heavy heart that I post the following from Gina ~ diana:
“R.I.P. Sweet Annie…
Our sweet Annie was humanely euthanized the other evening because she was getting progressively worse.  It was a heartbreaking decision but she let me know it was time.  Annie had no further will to live; I think her spirit began to die that day, January 15, 2013,  when she was hit by a car.
When Annie arrived to the emergency, it took us several hours just to stabilize her because her body was ‘crashing’ from being in a critical state of shock.  She had at least seven broken ribs, nerve damage in her leg, a broken tooth, and trauma to her liver, and probably more that we don’t even know existed.  Maybe I should have let her go then but I would have always wondered if we could have saved her.  I wanted to try for her and for the sake of finding her owners and giving them the chance to continue her care or say goodbye to her.

4 Paws 1 Heart is about giving animals like Annie a second chance.  Funding for medical care is very expensive and a ‘stray’ animal is generally put down immediately because of cost and the lack of an owner.  This is where our group has been fortunate enough to make miracles happen for injured stray animals.

Annie had a guarded to grave prognosis from the start but we did everything in our power to save her life.  We really believed that with love and everyone’s prayers, she could recover.  But, her injuries were too severe.  After eight days of intensive care, Annie officially gave up and I couldn’t let her suffer.  The doctors did all they could do and said that we went above and beyond for her, so I knew we made the right decision.

I got down and held her tightly, kissed her on her forehead, and told her what a special, sweet girl she was as she slipped away in my arms.  No more pain…

Our group wants to thank all of you for your support and for all of the prayers you said for Annie during her hospitalization.  I will never forget her. ~ Gina”

NO ONE STOPS TO HELP A DOG HIT BY A CAR…..EXCEPT ONE WOMAN

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1/13/13  NO ONE STOPS TO HELP A DOG HIT BY A CAR…..EXCEPT ONE WOMAN. Tonight this female stray was hit by a car and was laying in the road until a caring woman stopped to help. She spent an hour trying to wave down traffic but not one person stopped to help her get the dog in the car. While she watched this dog, she called the ER vet twice, We told her to bring the dog in and 4 Paws 1 Heart was able to offer the dog help because of, “our mission”.  The woman said, ” the dog kept trying to walk but immediately fell down over and over”. The dogs paw was hurting and injured. Finally, someone stopped to help. The dog was then rushed to emergency. Our assistant carried her 60-pound, limp body to the treatment area.  She was critical and on the brink of DEATH. We treated her for hypothermia and SHOCK.  It took three hours for her vitals to stabilize. If treatment had been delayed much longer, she wouldn’t be alive.  This poor girl was drenched in water from rain and puddles of melted snow with a temperature almost 10 degrees below normal. She has at least 7 fractured ribs and an injury to her front paw. We have her on I V Fluids and medications.  I will post an update this evening. ~ Gina

1/16/13  The pain for Annie has just been unbearable…  Day 3 of hospitalization..  The doctor has had to up her pain medication twice since she was brought in.  Finally, she is resting more comfortably on a constant IV drip with several additives.  Her broken ribs, injured paw, and broken canine tooth, on top of her being up there in age, has made it quite challenging for her to endure.   There is something about this girl that is so special.  Maybe it’s because she fought so hard to stay alive and she was on the brink of death when she came in.  I truly feel like she belongs to someone who is missing her terribly.  I just hope I’m right, but for now we are doing everything medically that we can.  Tonight she was eating a mixture of yummy canned food out of my hand, but she hasn’t been interested otherwise.  I’ve cooked some ground beef and diced up some chicken to bring to her for breakfast.  Hopefully, she will have a better appetite tomorrow. ~ gina