Meet Tyson!
On Friday September 9th, I was settling in to study for a biochemistry exam when I received a call from the manager of a local ABC store. The man said that a pit bull puppy had been thrown out of a moving car as it drove past the store. An older woman had seen everything and had run into the store, begging the employees to do something to help the dog. The manager called the nearest veterinarian, which happened to be the office where I am doing my internship, Six Forks Animal Hospital. The staff is familiar with Pit Crew and the work I do with bully breeds, so they instructed the ABC store manager to call me.
The man explained the situation to me and asked if there was anything I could do to help. I told him I could not take on any more foster dogs at the time, but if someone at the store would be willing to foster the dog for a few weeks, I could find him a permanent home. The manager sounded hesitant to take on the responsibility, so I suggested he ask his employees if any of them would be willing to foster the puppy, and a man named Jeff Kieth volunteered for the job. After securing a temporary place for the dog to stay, I packed up a few supplies and got in my car to drive to the ABC store to find out what kind of condition the dog was in.
 |
| Tyson when he first came to Pit Crew. |
 |
| After a few weeks of medicine, Tyson was looking much healthier! |
When I arrived at the ABC store, Jeff led me to the store’s loading docks, where they were keeping the dog. Luckily, an employee had a collar and a leash in his car, and they were able to secure the dog by tying the leash to the guard railing. I could see the dog was a thin, unneutered male red nose pit bull. I was immediately concerned about the numerous large bald patches on his face and body where his fur was missing, which I suspected was the result of a bad case of mange. Amazingly, he did not seem to have sustained any injuries from being thrown from the car! While it was a miracle that the dog had not been hurt, I knew that things had just become more complicated because it would be impossible to find a home for the puppy in the condition he was found in. He would need medical attention, vaccinations, and would need to be neutered.
I took the puppy to Dr. Jackie Price at Six Forks Animal Hospital that afternoon. After she confirmed that the dog had sustained no serious injuries, she moved on to perform a skin scraping on the bald areas of his body to test for demodectic mange. The test came back positive, so Dr. Price performed a heartworm test. The heartworm test came back negative, which meant that the dog could safely take Ivermectin, the medicine that treats demodectic mange. Ivermectin can be fatal if given to dogs that are positive for heartworms! The dog was prescribed a six-week course of Ivermectin, given a general dewormer to eliminate any intestinal parasites, and had a dose of K9 Advantage applied to protect against fleas and ticks. Pit Crew Pit Bull Rescue would like to give a sincere thank you to Dr. Jackie Price, whose kindness allowed me to affordably treat this down-on-his-luck dog!
After his visit to the veterinarian was complete, I brought the puppy back to Jeff at the ABC store and showed him how to give the dog his medicine. I told Jeff that I would set up an appointment on September 21st at the SPCA Saving Lives Spay and Neuter Clinic where the dog would be neutered, microchipped, and receive his necessary vaccinations. When I picked the dog up from Jeff’s home to take him to the SPCA Clinic for his surgery, I was shocked to see how far he had come since I had last seen him! Not only was his mange looking much better, but during the weeks the dog lived at Jeff’s home, he had transformed from a skinny and nervous puppy into a sweet and loving dog that loved to snuggle and give kisses! His surgery was a success, and he was now ready for a forever home!
The Holland family developed an interest in the dog, and after bringing their children and their other pit bull, Duke, to meet him, they decided to adopt the dog they have named Tyson! Tyson is very happy living with his new family!
