A shelter in central PA called us regarding a dal who had been seized by them in a cruelty case. He was kept in a too small crate, on a porch for 5 years. They had him for three weeks and were looking for rescue to take him. We agreed to bring him in to our rescue and a devoted foster mom took him under her wing.
 
A warning. Gabriel's story does not have a happy ending but it needs to be told. We believe that every living being has a purpose or a lesson to teach. We don't know Gabriel's purpose yet. All we know is he touched our lives in a big way.
 
Here is his story as it unfolded...

 

7/25
 
Eileen picked him up today. She said he was covered in feces when shelter staff brought him out. She asked if they could please help her rinse him off - they complied. He is very emaciated - 33 pounds. .
 
She said he has the sweetest face - he walks like an old man. She took him directly to her vet who estimates him to be 5 yrs old (I think the shelter said 5-6).
 
He is heartworm neg - intact - tested pos for giardia and coccidia - neg for lymes - they are keeping him overnight - maybe tomorrow too. He was sneezing a bit. He's getting fluids - was very cooperative for exam -  showed his teeth when they clipped his front toe nails - no biggie.
 
Vet thinks swimming might help - Eileen has a pool. She is willing to try him at her house. She will get us pics.
 
He's full of coccidia, giardia, has a kidney stone, kennel cough - not to mention the skeletal deformities from being in the too small crate for 5 years.

July 26, 2008
From his foster mom Eileen
 
I visited him today and got him to eat a little.  This evening when my daughter went in to give treatments, she said that he again did not want to eat and had vomited.  I am worried about him.  Please send this to any one who can send him healing energy, prayers or reiki....anything to help this precious guy.  We have been making a list of names we are considering for him and will come up with something soon.

7/27

Here are some more pictures.  He has not eaten today and I can't coax him to at all.  Dr. Frey was worried about his kidney function, so I think that is  why he does not have an IV in him yet.  He sent out lab work that should be back tomorrow morning.  I will be there tomorrow morning .   Anyway, he perks up when he sees me, so at least I think he knows I care.

7/28

I have named the new boy Gabriel because he needs an angel to watch over him.  Dr. Frey said the big obstacle now is that he will not eat.  He ate the first day, then turned up his nose at everything else.  Yesterday it looked as if he might take some watered down I/D, but decided not to.  Today I syringed some puppy formula in his mouth, so at least he got something.  Dr. Frey said that he might be used to living on this starvation diet....maybe this is how he has always lived.  I was wondering if you ever had any experience with an "anorexic" dog. 
 
Yes, he still has the discharge.  It is only on one side of his nose.  It is either a sinus infection or an abscessed tooth.  His white count was sky high.  I am cooking up some boiled hamburger and rice to take to him tonight 
 
7/29 
I brought him the hamburger and rice and it looked like he was interested.  He pulled a piece out and put it in his mouth, but then spit it out.  He managed to get only a few grains of rice, a piece of tuna fish and a piece of beef jerky the vet had (very stinky).  Then, it is like he just closes up shop in the eating department.  This morning when I came in, they had hooked him to an IV.  They had tube fed him watered down I/D, but he ended up vomiting it all up.  Dr. Frey thinks that this may be his big problem, not just the giardia or coccidia.  There have been times when he looks like he would really like to eat, but changes his mind and looks away.  Also, his nose is still running and I know that must be annoying.  They ran a leukemia test since his white count was so high, but lab tests were slow coming back this morning, so I still don't know the verdict of that.  I know when my Penny had pyometria many years ago, her white count was the highest the vet had ever seen, so I know just an infection can boost the white count real high, so I trying not to be nervous about that.
 
So the next step, if nothing else can be found, would be to give him a barium x-ray to see what is wrong with his stomach. 
 
The fact that he had diarrhea all over him in the kennel proves something got through.  The first day he was here he passed a very small stool, but to my knowledge, he hasn't had a bowel movement since.  Of course, he has eaten very little and he vomited a small amount once on Saturday.  He drinks water on his own and that stays down.  I am going to check back there again tonight. 
 
7/30
 
They gave Gabriel barium and have been x-raying him throughout the afternoon and evening.  Dr. Frey said the barium quickly exited his stomach, but slowed down once it reached the small intestine.  When I came in this evening, it had reached his colon.  Before I got there, he did a large volume of diarrhea. 
 
As I was petting him, I noticed he was sniffing me and his surroundings more than usual.  Then my daughter came by with a sheet of twist ties and he made a grab for them.  Dr Frey was going by and said it kind of looked like a sheet of graham crackers and sent my daughter to the kitchen to see if there were any crackers....maybe he would eat them.  I had a jar of baby food meat with me, so we put the meat on some cracker bits and he ate them up.  Then Dr. Frey brought out some peanut butter he bought thinking that that might tempt him.  He ate one cracker with peanut butter and then kind of choked on it going down and he instantly stopped eating.  So maybe some of this is psychological.  As soon as he thinks something may make him sick, he stops eating. 
 
Since the barium went through him, Dr. Frey thinks maybe this is just an extremely tough case of giardia.  Giardia latches onto the intestine wall and blocks nutrients from being absorbed.  
 7/31
 
He has stopped eating. They are tube feeding him.  
  
 8/ 2 
Eileen just called. Gabriel died in her arms at 4 am this morning.  


Gabriel was in the vet office for 8 days.  His vet bill totaled $1100.58 which is VERY reasonable.  We'd like to thank Dr Frey and his staff for the excellent care and attention they gave him. They, along with Eileen were on a mission to make him well. Unfortunately, he landed in their caring hands too late, he was too far gone. Thank you for trying so hard to heal him.
 
We are always in need of funds to help dogs like Gabriel. I know times are tough but any amount, large or small helps.
 
If you know a relative, neighbor or friend that has a dog who's not being looked after properly. Call animal control or your local shelter. Get involved. Together we can make a difference.