Reply #53: I have a pet rescue story with puppies and a kitten to offer (pic heavy)...

[Turborama]

Josh turned up looking lost and confused one stormy night. She was an abandoned 8 week old puppy that just came into our lives out of the blue - the reason we called her Josh is because I thought she was a boy until the vet informed us otherwise but by then she was answering to Josh so it was too late.


Josh just after she came into our lives.


We thought she had a cold but when we took her to the vet he told us that it was early signs of distemper. He informed us that she only had a 10% chance of survival and when we notice signs of paralysis that's when the problems really begin. We took her out on regular exercises and fed her as much as she could eat to try and get her as strong as possible to cope with this impending totally debilitating and often fatal disease.


Josh taking a rest during one of her workout sessions




The distemper kicked in after a month or so and she gradually turned into a zombie (no appetite or thirst and paralysed from the neck down with a thousand yard stare). It took 3 months of heartbreaking intensive care to keep her alive - we had to feed and water her using a syringe with its top cut off and I carried her around during the day so she could see things which might get her brain working subliminally.

One day, just after discussing how much longer she would last and sending a prayer out to anything that might be out there, she miraculously managed to pull through and started eating solid food again and gradually her body came back to life. She still has what could be described as a full body 'tick' to this day but that's a small price to pay for what I believe was a miraculous recovery from a fatal disease.



Josh relaxing on the beach after she was well enough to go out




Before we had her spayed she escaped while she was on heat and 6 weeks later Sophie was born.



Josh and her new born pup sleeping



Sophie having breakfast



Sophie has now grown to be almost twice the size of Josh



During the night in December last year I heard a squealing from outside the garden and thought it was an insect or something. The next day I went out to investigate and it was a tiny kitten that was clinging for dear life onto a rock on the side of the fast flowing stream outside my house. We named him Henry.

I gradually introduced Henry to a very curious Josh and Sophie and as you can see in the pics below, they are now a dog and cat gang that have bonded really well. (These are pics of the three of them together not long after Henry arrived and was still weaning, Sophie and Josh stopped him from suckling quite quickly. Henry has grown quite a lot since these were taken several months ago but my camera is broken, when I get a replacement I'm going to take loads of pics of them play fighting together)