Top Five Saves - #2 Maggie's New Life
Maggie arrived at PACC unable to walk and suffering from severe trauma to her head, spine, and internal organs. And that was just the beginning of what this incredible dog went through on her journey to a new life. Spoiler alert: this story has a very happy outcome!
Will you help us give more pets like Maggie the chance for a new life?
Thanks to support from our community, Maggie had access to the care she needed every step of the way. She was also the first pet to be diagnosed with the new ultrasound machine that Friends of PACC donors bought for the shelter clinic. You can read that story here, when Maggie’s name used to be Carmela.
Before the arrival of the ultrasound machine, pets with internal injuries had to be diagnosed by exploratory surgery in urgent cases or at a costly consult with a vet clinic in the community. While these are still options we have to use in some circumstances, the purchase of an ultrasound and the training to go with it allows pets to be triaged and even diagnosed in-house so they can receive pain management and the correct treatment as quickly as possible.
In Maggie’s case, Dr. Wayt was able to diagnose her ruptured bladder at the PACC clinic and repair it right away. It is only with donations that PACC can continue to provide this life-saving care that goes above and beyond for every one of the more than 18,400 pets they care for every single year.
After her bladder was repaired Maggie started vomiting and was determined to have inflammation of the esophagus, along the lines of megaesophagus. She could only eat liquid food while sitting up. Then she developed a subcutaneous infection all throughout her body; at one point she had to have mid-section wrapped for a few days, and this particular issue was even discussed with a specialist outside of PACC.
As the infection began to diminish, the skin on her right hind limb began to slough off and she began to have muscle atrophy. Throughout all of this she has had times she could walk, times she could not; times she was lethargic, times she was brighter. With daily bandage changes and lots of TLC from PACC staff and volunteers, she began to walk herself to the play yard. Her skin infection/wounds began to heal and she was slowly re-introduced to solid food.
Despite everything she endured, she was nothing but a gentle, loving soul through it all. The volunteers who worked with her said they “loved her very much,” and that they would never forget the time they spent with her.
Three whole months after she arrived at PACC she found a loving foster home and within just one more month she was adopted!
Read her new family’s story…
“My wife and I both have busy jobs and it has precluded us from having a pet for decades as we did not feel we could give the attention a pet deserves. I had a dog when I was a kid and loved her, but have not had one since. When the pandemic hit I thought more and more about adopting one. Then I was told I needed surgery and would need to force myself to walk a lot. That sealed the deal. I would walk if I had a dog, so I started looking online for a medium sized dog that maybe wasn't too young (we are in our 50s). Within a day I found Daisy (now Maggie) on the PACC website.
She had been through a LOT of problems and was recovering from some trauma. So hesitantly, I made an appointment to see her. My 19 yr old son and I went over and just fell in love with her temperament, her sad smile, and her friendliness. Although I thought we were just going to visit, we ended up taking her home that night.
She is an 8yr old Boxer/Lab and has been the most amazing thing to happen to our family in years. My surgery went well, and within a day or two I was going on two or three walks a day with Maggie and she is always so eager to go!
She has some trouble eating but we are starting to crack the code on that. We consider it a minor inconvenience compared to all the other good things about Maggie. In dog years, she is about the same age as me, and we have bonded totally. She has helped me through my surgery and I hope she eventually understands that we have given her a forever home.”
And their vet chimed in, too: “I just finished reading Maggie's medical saga from PACC. Wow. When I said she was kind of a miracle - that was an understatement. I am so impressed with her and the dedication of the [shelter] vets and staff. She had so many major problems any one of which might have been the end of the road.”
