No More Worms, Time to Gain Weight!

It is incredible that Delilah was able to survive against so many odds. All at the same time, Delilah's body was fighting the effects of rattlesnake venom, producing milk for nursing puppies, and competing with worms that were consuming most of the nutrition from her food. It takes a strong will to live to be able to keep from wasting away under those conditions. Not to mention the pain of a fractured hip and knee.

Delilah was officially worm free by day three! She was eating well and food was passing through normally. Her weak body could finally absorb the nutrition from the food she eats. This was great news because it meant we could begin the task of putting weight on her tiny emaciated frame.

Once all of the bloating from the worms had gone down we were able to see just how under weight she really was.

Bloated Delilah

Delilah after the bloating went away.

We suspect that a healthy weight for her would probably be between 30-35 pounds. We weighed Delilah for the first time on her third day with us. 

She weighed in at just 24 pounds. :(