I have always imagined how difficult it must be to work in an animal shelter where you have to deal with heartbreak almost all the time, but it’s not always so dark.
There are many joyous moments where so many of the dogs and cats end up recovering and growing stronger than ever before. It’s those moments that really matter to them.
And, it’s really beautiful to see that people like this exist. In the case of this poor puppy, his owner just left him at the shelter and told the staff that he could not care for her.
They were initially confused when he said that the dog was in a car accident, but they wasted no time and decided that they were going to help her.
A Frail Puppy
After the puppy was given to them, they immediately set an appointment at the veterinarian clinic and took her there.
They were careful when transporting her but noticed that something was off. The owner had told them she was in an accident, but they saw no sign of it.
An X-ray confirmed to them that she had no broken bones whatsoever, so that story fell apart. Her blood tests also came back normal. So, what happened?
They noticed that her neck was always tilting to one side, and they decided to do an MRI to confirm what exactly was wrong with her.
The test results showed that she had cerebral edema and cortical atrophy. This was the cause of her problems.
They determined that she was like this from birth and that her owner probably just didn’t want to take care of her. The head shaking was clearly not from an injury.
She was about four to five months old and had received little medical help to remedy all of her health problems.
However, now was not the time for despair. The shelter staff and the vets were determined to help her lead a normal life.
The dog’s rescuers were baffled by the owner’s lies and couldn’t understand why he would abandon her so cruelly. They tried reaching out, but it was not possible.
A Better Future For Vesta
The vets realized that the pup would likely need surgery, but she first had to go through some form of rehabilitation.
To make things a bit easier for her, they brought her some toys, and she just loved playing with all of them.
She even made a new friend at the shelter. While she was a bit shy at first, she eased up with time and started playing with him.
After finding out that she had autoimmune meningitis and pitting encephalopathy, they realized that those could not be cured.
The best they could do was remedy them long-term. She would also start doing water therapy, which helped her walk more steadily.
After doing tests, the vets gave the shelter staff some good news. The puppy will not need any surgery. Her therapy is doing wonders for her recovery.
This was such a relief for everyone there. She spent half a year trying to recover and the results are really showing.
As for the owner, the authorities found the man responsible, and he just confirmed to all of them that he did not want the dog. While it’s horrible that he thought of her that way, at least she is with someone better now.
One of the rescuers took the dog, now named Vesta, into her home, and she is now enjoying her new life. I am really glad to see everything turn out so well for her.