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Rescue Wants Answers After Finding Severely Malnourished Puppy

Written by: Molly Weinfurter
Molly Weinfurter is a writer for iHeartDogs, and she’s passionate about helping animals in need. She volunteers for Bailing Out Benji and a local dog rescue.Read more
| Published on July 12, 2021

Unfortunately, it’s common for rescues to find dogs abandoned in critical condition. Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control only added to that number after finding a severely malnourished puppy. The pup was so emaciated that he couldn’t walk on his own. So, it’s clear that someone dumped him all alone.

The rescue is taking his recovery a day at a time. Luckily, the puppy is making improvements every day, but he’s not out of the woods yet. The shelter is looking for donations, along with any information on the person(s) responsible. This sweet, innocent puppy deserves justice!

Severely malnourished dog
Image: @FWACC/Facebook

Fighting for His Life

A person passing by first spotted the puppy alone near an old Target in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The puppy was only skin and bones, and he couldn’t even lift his own weight. He’s guessed to be a 10-month-old Beagle or Brittany Spaniel mix.

He was barely alive when Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control picked him up, so they know he didn’t walk there by himself. Someone must’ve abandoned him.

Malnourished dog scared
Image: Screenshot, wpta21.com

The team at the shelter worked hard to keep the precious puppy alive. They did regular blood work on him, fed him small amounts of a specific kind of food, and checked his fluids. They said that feeding him too much or feeding him the wrong food could drastically change his blood work for the worse. Since he couldn’t stand or regulate his own body heat, he had to be kept on a heating pad too.

“It’s a good sign that he wants to eat. He still cannot stand at this time, he cannot regulate his body temperature on his own, so we still have some pretty large obstacles in the next several weeks in his recovery,” said Laura Rowe of Animal Care & Control.

Malnourished dog in crate
Image: @FWACC/Facebook

The Journey Continues

Every day, the pup improves, but the shelter staff are not even thinking about adoption for him yet. He still has months of recovery, so they urge people to avoid asking about an adoption waitlist. Their priority is making sure he lives. Luckily, many kind animal lovers have sent in donations to help him and other dogs like him thrive.

“I love the community support. It is just amazing. We’ve raised over $7600 for his care, so that’s fantastic. but right now adoption is pretty much the furthest thing from our mind at this time,” said Rowe.

Malnourished dog treatment
Image: Screenshot, wpta21.com

As the puppy’s health improves, they are looking for other forms of help too. They want answers as to why someone would harm and neglect this innocent dog. If anyone near Fort Wayne has seen this puppy before, they’re urged to contact the shelter at (260) 427-1244, option 1.

This sweet pup doesn’t have a name yet, but the shelter is open to suggestions in social media comments. They want to give him all the love in the world, but they need to remain focused on saving his life above all else.

H/T: wpta21.com
Featured Image: @FWACC/Facebook

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