Everyone who knows me, knows how passionate I'm about dogs and that I have been active in rescue work for a number of years.
I usually try to stay away from asking for donations, but Diva has a special place in my heart and I would like to... ask for your help.
Diva was first rescued from an area shelter a couple of years ago. She was scared and timid and spent the first two days just sitting in the room staring at the ceiling. With lots of TLC from her foster parents she learned to trust people again.
Diva was then adopted by a young family and her story should have stopped here with "and they lived happily ever after." Some family issues arose, through no fault of Diva's, and she was returned after 9 months.
Abandoned twice now, she didn't understand what was going on and went back into her shell. Her foster parents knew that it would be a lot of work to get her out of it yet again, but were willing to do so. At the same time though they also found out that the foster dad was suffering from cancer and had to start his own battle soon.
Carolina P.A.W.S. (www.Carolinapaws.com) had gotten involved in the "New Leash on Life" program at Brown Creek Correctional Institution in the meantime. I oversee this program for CPAWS and also go to the prison once a week as a volunteer trainer to work with the inmates and their dogs. When I had a new class to fill in September, I thought that Diva would be a great project and very rewarding challenge for the inmate handlers. The first couple of weeks were pretty tough for her as well as her two designated trainers. By the end of the 8-week program, Diva was a different dog. I couldn't have been happier or prouder! She also had a home lined up - a couple of empty nesters with plenty of time to devote to her. I thought that now "and they lived happily ever after" would come true for her!
Unbelievably, but once again she wouldn't get this lucky. The couple took her home and within the first hour of Diva being in the new surroundings left the front door open. Naturally, she bolted through the door and then panicked because she had no idea where she was. Volunteers went looking for her, hanging up flyers, talking to people, ... Three days later we receive a phone call that she has been picked up by the York shelter and that she is in urgent need of veterinary care. [To my astonishment, the couple who had adopted her didn't inquire about her well being at all, but asked us to send them a replacement dog!!!] We picked her up and after consulting with our regular vet we ended up at Carolina Veterinary Specialists. Her exam showed several fractures on her pelvis and a fully broken front leg. We were faced with the decision to go ahead and have the surgery done or have her euthanized. The surgeon predicted that she would get 95% of her mobility back with a great quality of life. There was no way that CPAWS would be able to finance the surgery and we decided to raise funds for Diva.
In terms of all the orthopedics the surgery was a great success and she came to my house for rehab. Within only a couple of days, she was moving around and developed more and more into a social butterfly!! After all she had gone through "and they lived happily ever after" seemed finally to come true for her.
Several days later, Diva started having issues with swallowing solid food. Within a couple of days it became so bad that she was not even able to drink water. She was literally starving to death in front of a full food bowl. During her surgery she had an aspiration and the acid had burned her esophagus. The scar tissue was growing and completely closed off her esophagus and a temporary feeding tube needed to be implanted into her stomach. We once again were faced with the decision of euthanizing or not. We wanted to give her another chance. She had hung in there trough everything and even though all her pain she had never been happier or more outgoing in her life!
Since then she had three balloon angioplasties with moderate to great success. She started 2011 with eating her first meal on her own!
The last couple of months have been an emotional roller coaster for everyone involved. It's hard to understand that a "side effect" of a successful surgery could potentially kill her. Of course besides the physical and emotional toll on us from taking care of her, feeding her through the tube, going back and forth to the vets, ... this has built up a massive vet bill, with which help is needed.
[Juergen and I take care of the majority of her food, transportation, and pretty much everything else involved in her in home care (feedings, administering medication, cleaning...)]
Carolina P.A.W.S. is an all volunteer organization. Please know that 100% of your donations to the Diva fund go towards her bills. Please also know that your donation is tax deductible and some employers also offer donation matching.
There are different ways to donate - look for the most convenient one for you.
PAYPAL - Diva Fund:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=NVEBXFEJ28VUW
Send check:
Carolina P.A.W.S.
P.O. Box 242861
Charlotte, NC 28224
Call in with credit card:
Carolina Veterinary Specialists
(704) 504-9608
Pet: Diva
Owner: Carolina Pet Adoption and Welfare Society (Carolina P.A.W.S.)
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