Hank

Every day, we answer calls about senior dogs in desperate need of help, but we were heartbroken when we received a request from a local shelter about Hank’s tragic case. Hank’s owner had passed away in his home, and Hank was found locked in a crate, most likely for several days. When he arrived at the shelter, he was starving, severely dehydrated, and could barely stand or walk. His blood work showed elevated liver enzymes, and he had lost muscle mass all over his body. He was not interested in food at all, had an elevated heart rate, and was covered in urine and feces.

Thanks to the dedication and care of the shelter staff, he was able to recover fairly quickly and we sent out an urgent plea to find him a forever home. We needed a patient and loving family to help him physically and emotionally recover, as well as manage the ongoing medical care he would need moving forward.

We were overjoyed when a brand-new foster home saw his story and went through the approval process to become Hank’s permanent foster family. His new mom fell in love with this sweet boy the moment she met him, and she shared with us how he has already begun to regain his strength with lots of love and daily care.

“The first few days with Hank were full of long walks, learning his quirks, and helping to manage his anxiety. I quickly learned that Hank was not fully housebroken. He would also drink until he vomited, and during his first night with us, he woke us up five times to go out to potty. He went in for his intake vet appointment the next day. The vet said he still needed to gain about five pounds, had clear signs of arthritis in his spine, some muscle wasting likely due to age, and weakness in his hind end. He had cataracts, needed a dental cleaning, and didn’t seem responsive to sounds. Hank would eventually need to be neutered, but the first priority had to be gaining weight and ensuring that his internal systems were functioning normally.

“When we returned to the vet a week later for a vaccination booster and diagnostic lab results, we got a mixture of good and bad news. On the positive side, Hank’s kidney function was normal so he could keep taking his arthritis medication and kidney failure wasn’t the culprit behind his excessive thirst and urination. On the worrying side, his liver enzymes weren’t normal, in fact, they had worsened since his last round of bloodwork, and he had non-regenerative anemia, the cause of which was not clear. More medications for Hank and a month of waiting to see if they will make a difference.

“Despite the tragedy that brought Hank to Old Dog Haven and into our home, he remains the most resilient, happy, sweet-tempered boy. He truly loves to have his head and ears rubbed, he soaks up every bit of attention you show him, and he even sits patiently when you trim his nails and paw pads! He has never met a stranger, and he gives the gentlest kisses. He sleeps soundly in his dog bed in our room, although he wakes us up like clockwork at 4 a.m. for a potty walk by putting one of his massive paws in our face. He’s anxious, but is also learning that when we go into the garage or the bathroom, we do come back. Hank and resident dog, Sadie, play keep away with the many balls rolling around our house.

“Hank has put on more than 3 pounds in the three weeks he has been with us. We have a couple more weeks to go before his vet will re-check his bloodwork to see if there is improvement with his liver function and anemia. We’re keeping our fingers and paws crossed, but whatever happens, Hank is with his forever family now.”

 

 

 

Hank is sponsored by: