Wounded and in pain, Dawn was brought to the ARL after a police officer found her.
Dawn was alone in the cold, severely burned and crying in pain when a Des Moines Police Officer heard her and rushed her to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa.
She was still crying loudly and covered in soot when our Emergency Care Team met her. It was clear that she needed critical care. Her paws, legs and face were burned and raw. She was congested and her breathing was labored. She could barely open one eye and could not open the other. The tips of her ears and all of her whiskers were burned off. All of her fur was singed.
We started her on pain medication and antibiotics and gave her subcutaneous fluids for severe dehydration. When we offered food, she ate like she hadn’t eaten in days. We carefully cleaned her wounds, treated her burns, wrapped her injured legs and made her as comfortable as possible in a bed of blankets.
Within days, our chief veterinarian took Dawn into surgery to remove dead tissue and help her wounds heal. With continued pain medications, antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and daily dressing changes for her paws and legs, Dawn slowly began to heal.
Thanks to care made possible by you, Dawn is healing well in the care of a foster family.
She has a long road ahead, but Dawn’s second chance was not possible without your support.
Dawn is finally past the critical stage and is continuing her healing in a foster home. Her foster family tells us she is doing very well. She has settled in and loves being petted and being near them. She is eating well, is very talkative (as always!) and has also started playing with toys.
Thanks to you, Dawn is not only healing, she’s starting to love life again. And when she’s ready, we’ll help her find the loving home she has always deserved.
There are so many ways to help vulnerable pets like Dawn in our community. To learn more, contact Lora Rogers at legacy@arl-iowa.org or (515) 473-9119.