Bitty’s rescuers didn’t have a clue how she was even still walking when they saved her from the streets in mid-August. That’s because the tiny 4 pound dog had been severely mauled.
“We have no clue what got to her. Coyote? Hawk? Dogs? But she is torn up in so many places,” Lola’s Lucky Day Rescue wrote on Facebook. But what they did know was she had a tremendous fighting spirit. “At only 4 pounds we know this little Bitty is a fighter.”
Lola’s Lucky Day / Facebook
The Texas-based dog rescue immediately could see the dog had badly injured eyes and her head and hind leg were skinned! She was also covered in puncture wounds. They also knew Bitty would need more care than the “normal ER vet can handle” so they immediately made the 1.5 hour drive to get Bitty to Texas A&M Small Animal Clinic (TAMU) so that their soft tissue specialists could treat Bitty’s “horrific wounds.
Lola’s Lucky Day know Bitty’s care will be expensive and more than they could afford but wrote, “she is alert and we cannot euthanize her just because of funds.”
On her first days at Texas A&M, Bitty received a blood transfusion and her wounds were cleaned. She was sedated so she could sleep and get rest. But when she was awake she was “alert and fighting.”
Bitty was extremely hungry, but with her body score rating of 1 out of 9, technicians need to worry about refeeding syndrome. The veterinarians determined she could not see out of either of her damaged eyes.
Day three was an R&R day for the tiny fighter. Not only was her appetite great she went potty outside.
“A week later and “Bitty is doing great still,” Lola’s Lucky Day revealed. They added, “She has every one at TAMU wrapped around her tiny paw. Eating very well. Pottying on her breaks.”
She also underwent some reconstructive surgery for her skin and her rescuers couldn’t be happier with the care she is receiving. “Bitty truly is in world class veterinary care right now. There is no better place to be than surrounded by the leading specialists in ophthalmology and soft tissue.”
On August 24 Bitty got her double enucleation surgery on her eyes and it went very well.
“She woke up with lots of energy,” Lola’s Lucky Day wrote. “She was running around her pen this morning making everyone at TAMU laugh.”
With her skin wounds on the mend and her eye surgery a success, Lola is all smiles!
For now she will stay at the hospital where doctors can keep an eye on her most recent flap surgery. “We thought she could leave Saturday but her most recent flap surgery was not looking how we wanted it to,” said her rescuers. “So she is hanging at TAMU now until the skin declares itself. If not they will debrief on Wednesday and we will possibly go back to letting the wound granulate over time like many of our other dogs we have helped medically.”
Considering the condition that Lola was in just a few short weeks ago, she’s made tremendous progress. Not only a testament to the wonderful care she is receiving but also to her fighting spirit.