Our “Henry” was only with us briefly, before succumbing to kidney failure last Thursday. Henry and his sister “Koi” were discarded “factory dogs”, fending for themselves in a Lindenhurst industrial area, lined with junkyards and other businesses until Babylon Shelter picked them up on April 1st and gave them lots of TLC.
These sweet Golden/Shepherd mixes were only about 2 years old. No one knows how long they had managed to survive on their own. Both were absolutely a mess when they got to the shelter. Koi went straight to the vet and stayed there after her spay; while Henry was nursed in the maternity room (now isolation) at Babylon Shelter but he remained very low key and thin, refusing to eat unless offered people food. All the while he’d gently thump his tail when anyone paid attention to him.
Tuesday the siblings came to Last Hope because the shelter was concerned when they could not get Henry to swallow his meds. We hoped he’d do better with so many Last Hope fairy godmothers/fathers. He perked up when he saw his sister so we asked that both dogs come to us to help Henry regain his strength. Kind volunteers started providing room service for Henry but his condition deteriorated.
On Thursday morning, Henry’s best pal Mark took him to the ER for an exam, ultrasound and blood work by the specialist team who determined that he was in end stage kidney disease. We don’t have a definite cause. Lyme and diabetes were ruled out, perhaps starvation had done irreversible damage, or he ingested antifreeze (or another toxin) in the junkyard. Lepto is also a possibility. We’re waiting for the results of a kidney biopsy (in part, since we need to know if Koi is vulnerable too) but we may never have a definitive answer.
What we do know is that rescue is not always about “happily ever after” but instead about trying the best we can to help dogs/cats who have suffered unthinkable trials and tribulations. We were truly the last hope for this huggable teddy bear named “Henry”.
Sometimes we can bring dogs and cats back from the brink of death, and later find them fabulous homes. Yet, other times we must find solace in knowing that we surrounded these unfortunate creatures with love and devotion for the short time we were privileged to embrace them. And that they loved us back, like Henry did.
