The more you help dogs in need, the sadder you feel once you learn their heartbreaking story. And, you never, ever become immune to harrowing scenes of abandonment, abuse, and neglect!
Donna Lochmann, the Chief Life Saving Officer at Stray Rescue of St. Louis, Missouri, has learned this throughout years of saving these four-legged furballs. But, saving Prayer was an absolute shocker!
When she and her colleague came across this poor girl, they couldn’t hide their heartbreak…
It Was A Real Shock
A concerned man called the Missouri rescue, informing them about a dog dumped in the lot next to his.
“A call came in after a man saw what he thought was people dumping tires in the lot next to his. But when he got closer he found a little puppy in a crate and rushed her back to his house,” SRSL wrote in a Facebook statement.
Donna and her fellow volunteer immediately arrived at the spot, but when they came a little closer, they were left in absolute shock.
A tiny little dog was lying motionless in a small crate, and she was completely defenseless. In the heartbreaking video posted by the rescue, it could be seen how neglected she looked.
“This little puppy was too weak to stand – emaciated and in her own filth – covered in maggots,” the rescue wrote.
She was an obvious case of abuse, and the rescuers just couldn’t believe that someone would do that to a dog.
“This is the worst abuse we have seen in a long time,” the SRSL team added.
The worst thing of all was that her entire body was covered with maggots. She spent days lying in her own feces, which resulted in such a horrible condition.
The team immediately scooped her up and brought her to a vet clinic. Despite the nice bath and needed care, Prayer still seemed to feel unwell.
Then came another heartbreak!
She Needs Hoomans More Than Ever
The vet team discovered that Prayer’s sodium levels were really high. The reason for this probably lies in the fact that she ingested urine for so long, and now she’s in critical condition.
“We have to watch for seizures, uncoordinated movements, and loss of consciousness. She most likely has such high sodium from ingesting nothing but urine for who knows how long,” the rescue reported in another Facebook post.
In order to avoid brain swelling, the team made sure to lower her sodium levels slowly.
The good thing is – Prayer started eating!
Upon her arrival, she only drank water and refused to eat, but now, she’s slowly building toward recovery.
Even though Prayer still has a long way to go, her rescuers hope that she will soon come out of danger and feel better. After all the hardship she had experienced in the past, she definitely deserves a new life and a new chance.
We hope you get it, Prayer!
Stay well!