On January 31st, TAF was contacted about an emaciated dog that was densely matted, assumed blind, and had severe lacerations and sores on her face. The level of this dog’s pain was exorbitant and it was paramount that she received medical care immediately. Once TAF arrived to pick up the dog from the open access shelter, it was hard to believe what were seeing. In a cage sat Cosette. She was quiet and shook in fear. Cosette could not see and it was abundantly clear that she was suffering. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that the matted fur on her face was acting like a mask covering something much more gruesome. We were only given a small glimpse of the carnage that lay beneath but it was enough to know that we had a critical case on our hands.
Once at the vet, Cosette was immediately sedated so that the matted fur on her face could be cut and slowly pulled away. The first thing to hit you was the smell. The sores around her eyes and the deep lacerations on her face had festered and created a thick pussy residue. The infection that set in was so bad that it had damaged both of her eyes and left ear canal. How could a one-year-old 8-pound dog have survived such abuse and neglect?
When Cosette was released from the hospital, she was still blind in her left eye and had limited visibility in her right eye. Ulcers had caused so much damage to the integrity of both eyes and it was a slippery slope determining what to do. We knew that removing Cosette’s left eye was a very realistic option and might by all means be the most humane thing to do. However, knowing that Cosette was comfortable on her pain medication we opted to try and save the eye. Treating Cosette’s eyes was an arduous undertaking and took months to figure out. At one point we actually scheduled surgery to have the left eye removed but after many consultations with Cosette’s primary vet and an ophthalmology specialist we decided otherwise. In the end, we were able to save Cosette’s left eye and she did regain most of her vision. All of our efforts had finally paid off.
A very sweet part of Cosette’s journey through recovery was a friendship formed with TAF’s XXL therapy dog Eeyore. For some reason these two bonded and out of all of the therapy dogs Cosette chose Eeyore to watch over her. From that point on the two were inseparable and were rarely apart. Cosette truly found comfort knowing that Eeyore was there by her side.
When the day came that Cosette was ready to find a forever home, we knew it had to be with a very special family. A family that would love Cosette unconditionally and be able to administer her eye medications multiple times throughout the day. This would not only be a costly endeavor but a huge time commitment as well. If Cosette was going to be able to keep her eyesight, this was a must. Luckily for Cosette, there was just such a family waiting for her. They wanted nothing more than to be Cosette’s mom and dad and give her a loving home where she could continue to flourish… a home where she would never go without or question if she was loved. A forever home that every homeless dog dreams of and deserves… every dog deserves a happily ever after. Now in her new home with her new family, we are happy to announce that Cosette is doing absolutely wonderful! She has moved out of Chicago and now lives in a quiet suburb of Indiana. With two dog siblings and a kitty by her side, she is unstoppable! TAF would like to thank everyone that rallied for Cosette and helped to sponsor her medical care. We would also like to thank her medical team(s) that never gave up on her and or us for that matter… it was a long road but in the end all of you succeeded in saving a helpless dog’s life. All the love in the world to Cosette and her new family! ***We chose not to post the worst/most graphic photos of Cosette’s injuries. It would just be too much for some people to handle and we did not want to upset anyone.
