Age at rescue: 6 months

6-17-04, Thursday 7 p.m.

We received a phone call on our emergency line from a woman named Carolyn who was concerned about her sister’s dog.  She said the dog was skinny and they were feeding her a lot more food than she should need but she  just wouldn’t gain weight.  She reported the dog had begun vomiting that afternoon and she was concerned.  She also stated the dog had only been with her sister for a month and they had contacted numerous rescues for assistance but had been turned away.  I asked if the dog had been checked for worms and was told “yes…we’ve tried everything”. 

We receive phone calls frequently about “skinny” dogs who turn out to be dogs who have gone without food for a few days, or those who are found skinny and just need a week of special feeding to be just fine, so this call raised little alarm. Over the phone we advised them to feed the dog boiled chicken and rice and that we would contact them Friday or Saturday to see how they where doing.  We also asked for e-mail pictures to better assess the dog. We needed to see how skinny this dog was. ( skinny can mean different things to different people) Carolyn replied "they just can’t do it anymore" and wanted the dog retrieved over the weekend.  Because our rescue was over filled and we have no available foster homes, we made no promises at that time.
 
6-17-04 Thursday, 10:30 p.m.   We received these  pictures of Grace. 

 We were shocked and horrified.  This looked like more than a one month's starvation.  We knew this dog needed to get help quick!We immediately called the contact number we had been given.  We discovered at this time that our contact was not actually in possession of the dog, but her sister Tanya was.  We asked her to contact her sister so that we could retrieve the dog immediately for medical care.  This could not wait until tomorrow.

 
Grace is the absence of everything that indicates pain or difficulty, hesitation or incongruity. ~ William Hazlitt
 
6-18-04 Friday, 12 a.m. 

We arrived at Tanya’s home and could not see the dog at first.  We asked Tanya to sign the dog over to us for immediate medical care. She told us that "Grace" was  so skinny because she was a special bred “Scottish Dane”.  This led us to believe that Tanya  more than likely purchased from a disreputable backyard breeder who say many things of this nature to “sell” their puppies.   We were not allowed into the home, it was  around midnight  and we stood in the front yard waiting anxiously to lay eyes on this dog. We  knew she was in bad shape. As soon as we had possession we would be heading for the nearest open vet hospital.

We were told that they had attempted to feed the dog the chicken and rice as we directed and that Grace had refused it.  We were also told at this time that the vomiting had been occurring for more than a week.  We asked her about previous vet care and she told us the dog had seen the vet at the age of 4 months, had been fully vaccinated, was clear of any internal parasites and had received a Pro-Heart 6 © injection at that time.  We asked for the name of the vet and were told the dog had been taken to a local Banfield. Tanya did sign the dog over to Heartland Great Dane Rescue, Inc. and told us that her children were heartbroken that they were “giving the dog away”.  We offered to wait  for the children to  tell their dog goodbye, but Tanya said no.

Finally, after all this we were able to see Grace for the first time.  Of course we forgot our camera in the rush to find this baby.

It is definitely true that “a camera adds 10 lbs.”  Gracie was much worse in person than the pictures we received.

We were able to encircle her entire waist with our hands overlapping on her abdomen. Gracie had several sores on her body and a lot of her body hair was missing.  She was very weak and stumbled about the yard. She had to be lifted into the vehicle for transport to the emergency vet clinic. Once inside the vehicle, she found a volunteers left over sno-cone. Now, sno-cones are really not great nutrition for dogs…but Gracie wanted it , so we let her have it.  Not sure she would keep it down, but at this point what Gracie wanted Gracie got! 

6-18-04  Friday, 1 a.m.

We arrived at Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Associates hospital with Gracie.  It is important to say here that even these folks who have seen it all, were shocked.  We were all impressed with Gracie’s desire and will to live…she was still trying to walk although she did lose her balance several times. We felt this was a blessing that she was even trying. 

We ran out for a disposable camera to take these pictures...

We reported to the veterinarian everything we knew about Gracie, including her having been fed but not being able to keep food down, even though we knew it was unlikely.  We wanted to know if there was a medical condition preventing Gracie from gaining weight or if it was in fact a simple case of neglect.

Gracie weighed 46 lb. and her body temperature was only 98.4 – Normal for a dog is 100 – 102. Other than the fact Gracie DID have worms the vet could find no medical conditions that could have caused her weight loss.  The large sores on her ears appear to be numerous fly bites.  She still had not vomited the sno-cone. Gracie's  skin condition and hair loss, was determined to be simply due to malnutrition.  

We gave her an entire can of P/D dog food and she ate it ravenously.  We waited…and waited…and waited…no vomiting.  We gave her a wormer and waited….again, no vomiting.  She continued to look for food and was very anxious.  Through it all, Gracie was well behaved and well mannered.  She  began to enjoy the human contact and attention.  This increased our concern for the conditions Gracie had lived in prior to us finding out about her…she deserves so much more. 

 Gracie had gone a long time without food. Her organs were damaged and may fail at anytime.  The only thing to do was care for her intensely and time would tell. The vet  said lots of hard work, compassion and caring  MAY be able to save Gracie…but he made no promises.

 
6-18-04  Friday, 4 a.m. 
Gracie has yet to vomit up the sno-cone, dog food or wormer.  She is still alert, but continues to lose her balance at times.  She has been receiving 1 cup of food/hour since she arrived in rescue, and has been eating it eagerly.  She has not yet urinated or pottied, but we still have high hopes.  She needs a nap every time she moves around for more than 10 minutes, but that’s OK….she now has a soft cushioned area to lie on cushioning her bones instead of the hard dirty ground which has left numerous sores.  She still itches and it is a very tiring chore to scratch, but she’ll get some of that dirt washed off soon.  We know she’ll be thankful. She  is in the  care of our Adoption Coordinator, Jennifer until we can arrange for permanent foster care.

 
 6-18-04  Friday, 9 a.m.
In an effort to learn more about Gracie's prior care.  We have contacted rescues and have asked if they had heard of this girl…none have.  We contacted the Banfield Pet Hospital she had reportedly been seen at and found they had not seen her.  In fact, they said, they had not seen any Dane puppies in the last several months.  We then again contacted Carolyn to ask for contact information for Tanya because she had listed her sister’s cell phone number as her only form of contact.  We were told that Tanya did not have a phone.  We asked that Carolyn contact her and get correct veterinary information.  She was told that the vet had ruled out all medical conditions other than internal parasites and starvation.  She continued to claim that Gracie had been fed and that she would call us back with the correct information. We have not heard back, and honestly do not expect to.  We have contacted the police departments involved as well as Animal Control.  We have left messages with other animal advocacy groups and hope to have return contact.  We have also spoken to attorneys who assure us that there ARE LAWS in place to punish people who do this sort of thing to an animal…we hope so…for Gracie’s sake.  We will not give up!

Foster Update:
 
 6-18-04  Friday, 1 p.m.
Gracie is still hanging in there with us.  She is still a very loving and compassionate baby, even after all she’s been through in her short life.  She is continuing to eat well and can now tolerate 2 cups of food per feeding. No vomiting.  She has drank about a gallon of water  and has finally urinated.  It was only about 3 tbsp. of urine, dark and smelly, but at least her kidneys are still working for now.  She also had her first stool since rescue…if we had any questions about her will to live before, Gracie answered them for us with that stool.  Gracie wanted to live so badly she was eating whatever she could find. The entire runny stool was grass and dozens of June Bug carcasses…this appears to have been her diet for quite some time.  She is resting now and dreaming…we hope it is of us.  We want no more nightmares for Gracie.

 
 6-18-04  Friday, 10 p.m.
We continue to see  progress, we hope it will make the difference in this little girls life.  She is now able to consume 2 ½ cups of food per feeding and she can now begin eating 3 times a day.  Her urine and stool output have improved dramatically.  Her urine is almost normal now, and her stool, although still liquid, is actually from real food instead of grass and bugs.  She has had a quick, small bath, her nails trimmed and her ears cleaned.  She is still having some trouble regulating her body temperature, so no real bath for her...we hope she makes it to her first real bath. We know how quickly hopes of recovery can turn around.  Danes less malnourished than Gracie have made it this far back and still it was not to be.  Gracie enjoys being covered up with a blanket or towels. We must celebrate the little things we can do for Gracie and hope for the best.  It has been a long day for all of us and especially Gracie, but she is tolerating it all well.  She is so tired that she has slept through most of her care.  That’s OK with us though…her biggest needs right now are rest, food and love…we can provide all three.  We only hope it will be enough to start her on her long journey back to being a puppy.
 
Give us Grace and strength to forbear and to persevere. Give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind, spare to us our friends, soften to us our enemies. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
 
 

6-19-04 Saturday, 1 p.m.
Gracie  is  doing better by the hour.  She tried to eat her foster mommies food…that means she’s starting to act like a puppy!  This is wonderful news!  She has also shown us she does have the ability to bark and wag her tail!!  Way to go Gracie!!!  She has actually walked away from her feeding bowl while there was still food there. 

 For the first time since we’ve met Gracie, she is full!

A picture of Gracie at her foster home...

...marks on her ears are where flies ate her.

Her stool is still very watery, she is still weak, but has a real reason to live…she has a couch!  She has not fallen down yet today, so hopefully, we are on our way.  We have only asked Gracie to hang on for 72 hours so we could hopefully save her life …we think Gracie might make it.  If she can keep making progress, we can give her a lifetime in a wonderful new home! Its important to note here that Heartland Great Dane Rescue has had more than we would like of rescued danes in starved condition, but none so bad off as Gracie. And even some of those with lesser neglect did not make it this far.  Gracie's survival is  mostly due to her determined spirit.  May she live on for those we couldn't save.

 Oh, you weak, beautiful people who give up with such Grace. What you need is someone to take hold of you - gently, with love, and hand your life back to you. ~ Tennessee Williams


6-20-04
Gracie has had another good day. She had another “sponge bath” today and acts as though she is feeling better. She went on a Father's Day outing with Jennifer, then moved in with Ron and I. She doesn’t like to be alone…even for a minute. If you leave the room, she just cries. It is a pitiful cry, like a newborn puppy, but it’s nice to hear she is expressing herself. When she sees a face look at her lovingly she wags her tail, lays right down all snuggled in a ball and naps. She is still hanging in there and taking it all in stride. She looks at you with thanks in her eyes each time she gets attention. She goes to the door when she wants to potty but still has some accidents because of her loose stools.  We only have a short time to go before meeting that 72 hour mark and things are looking good so far. Thanks go to Gracie for being such a good girl and being so patient and understanding when we just hold her and cry. Her will to live is strong and that is working in our favor. We love you Gracie!

6-21-04
We weighed Gracie again today. She was up to 51.6 lbs!!! Way to go Gracie! You just keep giving us inspiration. Her gums now also have a pink tinge to them rather than completely white…they are still quite pale, but at least there is some color! Her skin is still VERY itchy and dry (we think it may be demodex) but now she has some anesthetic spray to help with that too…it makes the itchies go away! She doesn’t really like it, but she tolerates everything we put her through just as her name implies…very gracefully.

She is still eating well and tolerating her feedings without difficulty. She is taking her PetTabs, Vitamin C and Benedryl without argument. We still have hope, but we were told again today by another vet not to get our hopes up. No guarantee against organ failure for a dog so far gone as Gracie was. In two weeks her labs will be repeated and then we will know if her organs are strong enough. All of her progress just makes it difficult for us not to get our hopes up too high.

And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful Grace of God. ~ Aeschylus

7-9-04
Grace continues to steadily improve on a daily basis. We took her to the vet on 6-28-04 and found that her skin condition was sarcoptic mange instead of demodex, so treatment has begun. Her weight was up to 57.8 lbs and she has begun regulating her own temperature. We have been given the good news now that she may not have as much permanent organ damage as we feared she would.  Instead of repeating labs at 2 weeks, now, we can wait 1 month. It was very encouraging to hear the vet say he believed she would survive to have lab work done in a month.

We were allowed to give her very first REAL bath, complete with the bath tub and shampoo followed by a paramite dip. She was very tolerant and actually seemed to enjoy the water. Not sure how clean she got it we spent most of the time with tears in our eyes. She lived to get her first bath! Such Happiness!

With all of this good news, comes a little bit of sadness in that she has lost most of her hair, but we know it will grow back as her skin heals. She began playing about a week ago just a little at a time…she actually sniffed at the doggie toys we had been trying to encourage her with. She is really raising our hopes and we are becoming more optimistic every day. She returned to the vet for a weight check on 7-6-04 and she was up to 67.8 lb.!! Wow! That’s 21.8 lbs in 19 days!!! We were so impressed with her progress, but that wasn’t good enough for our Gracie…oh no, she jumped and ran and chased a ball for the first time on Wednesday July 7, 2004. It was so exciting! Of course causing more tears. We held her and told her how wonderful she was…she is really turning into a puppy which is all  we wanted for her from the beginning. Every 7 month old puppy deserves the opportunity to feel love and play! Now matter what happens now, we feel as though we have truly accomplished something!

Count your blessings. Once you realize how valuable you are and how much you have going for you, the smiles will return, the sun will break out, the music will play, and you will finally be able to move forward the life that God intended for you with Grace, strength, courage, and confidence. ~ Og Mandino

7-23-04
Wonderful news!! Gracie went back to the vet today for her follow up visit. Her weight was up to 79 lbs and she is starting to grow a little hair back. Her feet are white with now instead of pink angry skin! Her lab work showed no evidence of permanent organ damage, so Gracie is going to be just fine! She has become a normal, active, get-into- everything puppy. She is starting to learn some manners now, but does have a long way to go. She has finally learned that when we give her a treat, she isn’t supposed to take fingers too! That was a major accomplishment!

A little more than a month later this is what she looks like...

Now, we’re working diligently to  teach her it isn’t acceptable to jump or nip for attention. I think she is starting to get it…you can almost see the light bulb “When I bite mommy, she turns her back and quits petting me!”…hope she learns this one quick! She is a wonderful girl and now that she is misbehaving, she is starting to really act like a puppy. Way to go Gracie…you’ve taught us even more about compassion and Grace!


"Angels and ministers of Grace defend us.
Be thou a spirit of health, or goblin damned,
Bring with thee airs from heaven, or blasts from hell,
Be thy intents wicked, or charitable,
Thou com'st in such a questionable shape,
That I will speak to thee.
~William Shakespeare, Hamlet
 

- Jan Cates, HGDR President.

Adoption Update:

Gracie was adopted ?Date? The pictures at the very top of this page were taken by her loving adoptive parents.