Shiloh

It was late on a Saturday night when I received the call….a dog was running loose, dragging his tether, hit by a car, in shock in the arms of good Samaritans on the side of the road. I told them to take this poor dog to Petroglyphs Animal Hospital immediately…if we were to have any chance of saving his life. Then called the clinic to let them know he was en route. Upon arrival, SHILOH was still in shock, covered in blood, unable to stand, severe swelling in the head & face area, with a ruptured eye 🙁 The TEAM at Petroglyphs went to work right away to stabilize him & make him more comfortable. It was obvious that he was in great pain & very confused. Through it all, SHILOH was a model patient, he allowed them to administer treatment without objection…even giving kisses to the doctors & techs. He was LUCKY to be alive & grateful for the loving care!

It was concluded that SHILOH’s head had suffered the hit of the car, rupturing his right eye & causing a hematoma on his skull. But after X-rays it was confirmed ….there were NO BROKEN BONES or fractures anywhere on this kids body!! That in itself is a miracle! Swift action, pain medication, hot packs, warm body wraps, abx, tender loving care & close monitoring got SHILOH through this very scary night!! Allowing SHILOH a couple of days to decompress, & allowing a little time for the swelling in the head area to subside…he was reevaluated as to what the next course of action would be. it was apparent that his right eye was severely injured & would require surgery to remove the ruptured lens & iris. The talented surgical team prepped him & went to work….this needed to be done in order to determine any chances of saving the eye. SHILOH recovered nicely from surgery, the swelling continued to go down, his spirits continued to improve & his appetite continued to increase….all good signs that he would make a full recovery.

During all of this time, we notified Rio Rancho Animal Control that we had him in our care & custody, allowing someone that might have been missing him to come forward. Extremely guarded of course, as it was apparent that he had not been given the best care before. Along with the twisted & bloody tether, SHILOH also carried with him previous scars of trauma & injury….again on his face & head. These scars were later determined to be caused by another previous HBC incident….but one that had never been treated by a vet. No one ever came for SHILOH & finally his legal stray hold expired (10 days seemed like a lifetime to us!) He had Angels watching out for him that night….& those Angels came to visit him as his healing progressed. They also let their friends know of this poor dog who’s life was literally in their hands….asking if someone might be willing to foster him during his recovery & someone has!! SHILOH was released from the hospital in the day he legally became an NMDOG dog & was placed into a safe, loving & nurturing foster home!! (Where he is quickly stealing hearts!!!)

The scars from SHILOH’s previous “life” are falling to the side, literally!! The horrendous marks of his previous injuries that were left untreated have disappeared right before our eyes….leaving SHILOH with a brand new “look” to go with his brand new LIFE!! Although he is still struggling with the current injury to his right eye…he is a BRAND NEW DOG today!! After the lens & iris were removed…it was hoped that eye would heal & remain intact. Unfortunately, it has now taken a turn for the worse, fluid is building up behind & with the guidance of the incredible medical TEAM at Petroglyphs..we have decided that removal of that eye completely is in his best interest….immediate as well as long term! SHILOH is scheduled to have his eye removed next week.

We cannot say enough about the caring & compassionate staff at Petroglyphs….fro not only being there in our immediate time of need, but also for their generosity of giving….for the LOVE Of DOG!! When we picked up SHILOH that day to take him to his approved NMDOG foster home..we were informed that all care & services for SHILOH had been donated by the Doctors in charge!! That is simply amazing & we were (to say the least) absolutely THRILLED & ever so grateful!! What a WONDERFUL Christmas present to SHILOH & NMDOG!! THANK YOU Petroglyphs…..for being part of our life saving mission…for your compassion & understanding of what we are up against every single day!! Thank you for all you do….for so many!!

Here is SHILOH’s story in a nut shell, told as best as we can determine from what we know….

SHILOH was a tethered dog in a jurisdiction with anti tethering ordinances in place. He broke free of his tether once, being hit by a car (severe injuries to his head & face), placed back on his tether & left untreated. SHILOH broke free once again & was, once again, hit by a car…suffering severe injuries to his head & face, rescued by the good Samaritans that witnessed this heartbreaking event, rushed to the Emergency Vet & taken under NMDOG’s wing of safety. He suffered no internal injuries or broken bones & was stabilized by the top notch TEAM at Petroglyphs. Within a week of this horrific ordeal…he was placed into a wonderful foster home where he can really begin to heal…inside & out! Then…we were gifted with the donation of his care by those that provided it!! Because all of these things came together so beautifully & because SHILOH has defeated all of the odds stacked against him….we consider him to be our very own CHRISTMAS MIRACLE DOG!

SHILOH is a HAPPY dog today…because of the action of many….the good Samaritans that stopped to help him that cold lonely night along side the road, the doctors & staff that cared for him during his critical time of need, the VILLAGE that makes up NMDOG & allows us to make quick lifesaving decisions by supporting our work with their time & monetary donations & to the Angel that offered to welcome SHILOH into her home & heart…giving him the comfort & security he will need to make a complete recovery!!

After the observation period we were given to determine the next course of action regarding his injured eye….we decided (with the guidance of his doctors) that removal of that eye will be necessary in order to give SHILOH the very best chance possible at a pain free, long & healthy life.

And then… SHILOH seemed to have an Angel already waiting in the wings that just KNEW he belonged with her ♥ After two eye surgeries, beautiful post op care & SHILOH’S first real Christmas….he is now HOME, for always. SHILOH was adopted by a wonderful family. He even has a doggie brother, Bennie (not pictured due to his own post-op crate restrictions ♥), that he adores, respects & just absolutely canNOT wait to play with once everyone is all better!! So yes….I think Miracle Dog pretty much sums it up & we could not be anymore thrilled for him!! He has a wonderful Mom that lives by example…just the kind of LIFE we hope for all of our dogs! She told me today that she felt a little sad by doing the adoption. No one has ever said the adoption made them feel sad before…I was a little caught off guard 🙂 She said she was sad because “now that he is adopted, I don’t want you guys to go away” ♥ It made me smile. I replied…”We never go away, you are part of SHILOHS family now. See you in class Tuesday night”.

Shiloh made the news, too!