On May 20th, an emaciated Nymeria walked herself into a car service station looking for help. She didn’t want much but for a scrap of food, to rest and relief from her pain. Due to her overpowering smell and dilapidated appearance, the customers asked that she be turned out onto the street. There was no compassion shown towards Nymeria only disgust and a lack of humanity. As Nymeria was being let out the front door, a kind woman came to her rescue and let her into her car. It was then that TAF was contacted and we agreed to meet Nymeria at the ER Vet.
We knew that Nymeria was emaciated but did not know that she was starving to death due to extreme pain. Upon further examination by the ER vet, Nymeria’s teeth were so rotted that some were actually soft to the touch. As you can imagine, Nymeria screamed out in pain when her mouth was examined. The level of pain was so intense that she actually needed to receive Fentanyl medication in her IV fluids. Fentanyl is the medication used after major orthopedic surgery. Nymeria would go on to spend the next 3 days receiving pain medication, antibiotics and supportive care at the ER. Once it was determined that Nymeria was stable, she was transported to TAF’s primary Veterinarian for a surgery that would ultimately save her life. In all, Nymeria would need to have 34 rotting and infected teeth removed… that very next day her quality of life has already greatly improved and she started to eat on her own.
No longer did she cry out in pain when she ate and she finally showed us her smile. In the weeks to come, Nymeria recovered in our care and continued to slowly gain weight. At first we needed to roll wet food up into little balls and freeze them. These meatballs were much easier for her to eat and she ate multiple small bowls throughout the day. Since Nymeria was still emaciated, we had her on a slow re-feeding routine t prevent re-feeding syndrome. As time went on, Nymeria started to go on long walks and enjoyed her time in the sun. She would sunbathe and enjoy the company of anyone that wanted to say “hello”. Almost immediately back into our care, Nymeria’s future mom started contacting TAF letting us know that she was interested in adopting our senior. Even though she had only seen photos of Nymeria on facebook, she had felt an instant connection. It didn’t matter that Nymeria was 10(+) years old; only that she deserved a second chance.
When Nymeria was ready for adoption, her new mom and dad drove over 5 hours to meet her. They had already fallen in love with her and wanted to meet her in person. Upon meeting Nymeria, there was an immediate connection and Nymeria undeniably knew that she had just found her forever home. There was a pep in her step and she was smiling from ear to ear. Nymeria had found her family and it was just meant to be. Not only did Nymeria find her mom and dad that day but gained two senior siblings… a ready made family for a once forgotten dog from the streets of Chicago. Nymeria now calls Wisconsin her home and is happy to have left the city life behind. She has the most amazing parents and spends her days going for walks and sitting in the backyard with her family. She is now living her happily ever after.
TAF would like to thank everyone that contributed to saving Nymeria. She truly did have an army of people rallying behind her and cheering her on. From start to finish there was Katie that rescued Nymeria off the street; Nymeria’s medical teams from MedVet and Delavan Lakes Animal Hospital; Lauri who transported Nymeria to our vet up in Wisconsin and Sabetha and Paul who drove her back to us in Chicago. Lastly, our BIGGEST thank you must go to everyone that donated towards Nymeria’s extensive medical bills. She would not have survived without you giving TAF the opportunity to provide her with the best medical care possible. This along with so many positive thoughts and prayers that really lifted Nymeria up and made her one of the many survivors of TAF.
