Dogs are some of the most loyal and loving animals that exist in this world. No matter how hard life can get sometimes, they are always there to comfort and love us. Humans love dogs, and dogs love humans.
It’s precisely this reason that makes it incredibly painful and sad to see a dog suffer alone and without any loving family or a home.
This story takes place in Redland’s Nursery, in South Florida, where a group of people found a Rottweiler laying near a dumpster.
Alone and Abandoned
A local animal rescuer, Isabel Zapata, who found the dog saw that she wasn’t moving, and she immediately rushed her to a veterinarian. She called Gulfstream Guardian Angels Rottweiler Rescue and they decided to help her.
Her previous owner had thrown her away near the dumpster and left her on her own.
The Rottweiler did not seem to have any broken bones or fractures at first glance, but still couldn’t walk, probably due to lack of food and water.
The poor dog was terrified, but Zapata and other kind people made sure to very carefully carry her over to a truck and prepare to take her to a vet.
Many tests were done, and they found that she was constipated, had fleas, skin infection, and was very weak due to lack of nourishment.
The veterinarians didn’t have an explanation for why she couldn’t move. After her condition was stabilized, they moved her to Clint Moore Animal Hospital, in South Florida.
While there, they went over the tests again and managed to figure out what happened to the dog.
Laurie Kardon, a board member for the rescue, said to The Dodo:
She had some arthritis and physical deformities to her legs, which make us think she was just stuffed into a crate since puppyhood. She was likely in there for most of her life and used for breeding. And, when breeders are done with dogs, they just dump them.
Fortunately, it’s not all bad news. The CT scan and myelogram tests did reveal that the dog had no spinal injuries, and the real reason why the dog couldn’t move was simply lack of food and water, and the fact that she likely spent most of her life in the crate without moving around much.
Slow And Steady Transformation
Thanks to the kindness of the rescue and veterinary staff, they decided that the dog, now named Susanna, would get her chance to walk normally again.
First, they gave her some much-needed food and love to help her build back her energy before starting with her new therapy.
A little over a week later, Susanna started hydrotherapy. The rescuers took her to the pool where she would try to walk and regain her strength.
When she managed to walk for the first time, the vet team was amazed. Kardon said to The Dodo in her statement: We were all in tears. It was such a relief.
Because she was able to walk for the first time in a while, the team made sure to bring her out more often to stretch and move around.
Time had passed, and slowly but surely, Susanna had managed to recover. She had made a miraculous transformation with her therapy. She also started to play with the other dogs, and she loves to roll around in the grass. The hope in her eyes grew, and she is a much happier dog now.
In her final statement about Susanna, Kardon said:
“She’s really a testament to her breed. She is strong, determined, and brave, but also so sweet and loving. She’s got the heart of a Rottweiler, that’s for sure.”
This story really is both sad and uplifting. The rough life of Susanna is something terrible that no dog should ever have to go through, but at the same time, it’s amazing to see such kind and thoughtful people help a dog in need, and restore her happy spirit.
