On a visit to a local shelter, I was stunned to find the fattest little dog that I have ever seen. Red was cowering in the back of his cage and shaking uncontrollably. Seeing that kind of fear and sadness in a dog’s eyes is something that stays with you. It is what keeps you up at night and what keeps many volunteers away from open access shelters.
To say that Red was obese would be an understatement at 18 pounds. Red’s legs would tremble when he stood up and when he tried to sit down they came out from underneath him. When you looked at his front legs quiver it was as though you were watching two twigs about to snap. Once taken to the vet, it was discovered that Red was in poor health due to his obesity. Red was pre-diabetic, had crystals in his urine, bladder infection and we feared kidney damage. Poor Red’s front teeth were even rotting. TAF worked with our vets and our boy has beautiful teeth and is nice and lean.
After weeks of working with him Red met his perfect new mom and got the happily ever after he deserved.
