In early April of 2012, I was
contacted by Pat Dixon about what would be our most challenging case to date.
Pat had found Hazel, a three-year old female pit bull, a block from Moore
Square, emaciated and digging through garbage. Her swollen, milk-filled nipples
indicated that she had recently given birth to a litter of puppies. Not knowing
what to do, Pat called Animal Control. Over the next 45 minutes, as she waited
for them to arrive, she followed Hazel in hopes of finding her puppies. Her
search was unsuccessful, as was a subsequent search by the Animal Control
officer. Animal Control loaded her into their truck and Hazel was
taken to the Wake County AnimalShelter.
Pat
continued to visit Hazel periodically at the shelter. A former co-worker of
mine, Brian Colter, who is now working at the shelter, saw Pat’s anguish and
referred her to Pit Crew Pit Bull Rescue (PCPBR). She promptly emailed me, relating
her story and offering financial assistance to our rescue if we could take the
case. PCPBR always has a number of requests to assist dogs in need, so the
decision of which case to take is always a difficult one to make. Pat’s
commitment and involvement in Hazel’s case convinced me that this was the best
use of our resources and time.
Chris Cottrell
and I went to meet our latest rescue in the Wake County Shelter. I was shocked
at her appearance. I had not expected her face and body to be covered in scars,
which told a story of past abuse and probable use as a bait dog. She was
missing patches of fur, and her nipples seemed to be the majority of her body
weight. She was bone thin, but her tail was still wagging.
Our first step was to try to locate
a foster home. I located her shelter listing on the Wake County Shelter’s
website and used their information and picture to create a Craigslist post
seeking a foster for her. After submitting proof of PCPBR’s 501(c)3 status, we
became an approved rescue with the Wake County Shelter, enabling us to pull
dogs at no cost from the shelter. I originally planned to pull her from the
shelter when a foster was located, but foster home after foster home continued
to fall through at the last second. About a week after she had been in the
shelter, I was contacted by the shelter coordinator, Joanne Duda. She told me
that Hazel had been placed on the “sick list,” and that if we did not come for
her within the next 24 hours, Hazel would be euthanized. Panic set in. Hazel’s
situation had just become urgent and we still had no foster home. If we were
going to be able to help Hazel, all of PCPBR would have to pull together.
Despite Chris’s busy work schedule,
he volunteered to house and care for Hazel. Now that we had a place to house
Hazel, Cat and I drove to the shelter to pick Hazel up. Pat Dixon met us there
to celebrate Hazel leaving the shelter. Pat Dixon generously contributed the
financial backing to cover a visit to the veterinarian and her spay, which was
scheduled to take place the following morning.
Upon taking Hazel to the vet, we
learned that she had recently recovered from mange and had developed a staph
infection of the skin. Hazel was given antibiotics to treat the staph
infection, but her upper respiratory infection was not deemed severe enough to
be treated.
That night, Hazel stayed at my
house and I could hear her coughing throughout the night. The cough became so
intense that I grew concerned. Despite
my anxiety, in the morning I brought her to the Wake County Shelter for her
spay. I was concerned they would not perform the surgery due to her severe
cough, but the doctor assured me that the color of her gums was good and her
temperature was normal and that the surgery could proceed.
That afternoon I picked a groggy
and lethargic Hazel up from the shelter. The surgeon informed me that her
condition had gotten worse and that I would need to pick her up at the back
door so that she would not infect other dogs. Hazel was taken to Chris’s
apartment, where he set her up with a crate and plenty of doggie comforts.
Chris had long planned on trying out for Jeopardy, and by a stroke of bad luck,
this was the weekend of the auditions in Washington, D.C., so I spent the
weekend between my home and his apartment taking care of Hazel.
As the weekend progressed, Hazel’s
condition continued to deteriorate. Her cough became more frequent and
pronounced, and by Monday, it was clear she needed to see a veterinarian.
Further complicating matters, this was the week of my GRE examination, but I
managed to find time to take her to the vet.
Her visit brought bad news. Hazel’s
upper respiratory infection had progressed and she was diagnosed with severe
pneumonia. X-rays revealed that her left
lung had collapsed. Hazel was given a 40% chance of survival and the doctor
said it would not be wrong to euthanize her, but if we decided to proceed, it
was recommended that she be hospitalized and placed in intensive care, the cost
of which was estimated at $1,600.00 for three days. I knew instantly that we
could not afford this, so I asked what would be involved if I were to provide
the necessary care myself. The veterinarians warned me that this would be
challenging and involve around-the-clock care, but with our limited resources,
we had no other option. The doctor explained that her care would consist of
delivering five medications multiple times a day, shower steam treatments,
percussion therapy, and nebulizer treatments every four hours. Hazel was so
contagious that she could not safely be around other animals. This eliminated the
possibility that she could stay with me, and with my GRE exam looming, I knew
trips back and forth to Chris’s apartment would be impossible.
With the possibility of Hazel
staying in a home with other pets eliminated, I quickly realized that PCPBR
could not provide housing for Hazel in her condition. I contacted Pat Dixon, who immediately left
work to meet me at the veterinarian’s office.
Pat suggested we house Hazel in her home that was empty and under
contract at the time, and I graciously accepted her offer. Over the next few hours, I packed up my
belongings and moved them into Pat’s empty house. Hazel now had a safe and spacious place to
stay where we could provide her with the intensive care she required.
Over the next 48 hours, board
member Elyse Kline and I cared for Hazel around the clock. Hazel, who showed little to no appetite, finally
accepted diluted soup and canned chicken.
As the hours passed, Hazel’s cough showed little improvement, but her
energy level steadily increased. She
showed little aversion to the frequent nebulizer treatments and did not resist
as we took her temperature every twelve hours.
When Chris returned from his trip
to Washington, D.C., Hazel was transported to his apartment and seemed to have
pulled through the worst of her illness.
Over the following six weeks, Chris continued to provide Hazel with the
medications and treatments that kept her on the road to recovery. Each PCPBR member contributed to Hazel’s
care, whether it be walking her when Chris was at work or babysitting her over
a long weekend. Slowly, Hazel began to
cough less frequently and her fever subsided.
After three weeks around-the-clock
care, I took Hazel to the veterinarian to reassess her condition. After listening to her lungs, the doctor
informed me that curiously, the right lung sounded much worse than the left
lung, which had previously been reported as collapsed. The doctor determined the best course of
action would be to refill Hazel’s antibiotic and bronchodilator. He discouraged taking follow-up x-rays at
that time, recommending we wait two weeks to take the next series of films to
allow the antibiotic to take full effect.
On Thursday, April 10, I took Hazel
to the veterinarian for her final x-rays.
The films showed Hazel’s lungs were almost entirely clear of fluid, and
the doctor informed me that Hazel was on the verge of a full recovery and would
be ready for adoption after a two-week observation period.
PCPBR is currently seeking a
permanent adoptive home for Hazel. Hazel
will make a wonderful addition to a family who is able to make her their only
pet. Please contact us by email at
pitcrewpitbullrescue@gmail.com or by calling (919) 457-3719 if you are
interested in adopting Hazel, the miracle dog!
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