Our First Night With Delilah

Our first night with Delilah was really heart breaking. Cathy from Bff4Pets Rescue brought her and all the supplies we could ever need over around 6:00pm on Wednesday April 24th. She was bloated and panting due to the pain. She either wouldn't or couldn't walk on her own, so we had to carry her anywhere we wanted her to go. You could clearly see her spine and her hip bones even though she had a bloated round belly. The bloating was from the worms. She had received her deworming medication already and Cathy shared with us that she had passed a large quantity of worms earlier that day. 

We set up a pen for her in our dining room and placed her inside of it. She just lay there. She did not wag her tail. She did not whine or bark. She did not care about our other two dogs roaming about. She reacted to nothing. 

Although we placed a dog bed and blankets in her pen she did not lay on her bed. We had to physically pick her up and place her on the bed in order for her to understand its purpose and that it was meant for her. She clearly had never had a bed before. 

Laying on the cold hard tile with her broken hip.

In her bed after we picked her up and layed her there. 

This is also a good picture of how bloated she was.

She was barely strong enough to drink some water and even then she wouldn't stand up to drink. We placed the bowl of water beside her and she drank from her laying position.

At around 11:00pm we carried Delilah outside for one last attempt to allow her to go to the bathroom. Finally she was able to go. It was a worm infested disaster. It sounded and smelled just as bad as it looked. She must have been in so much pain and discomfort. We felt terrible for her. When she was finished we carried her back inside and lay her down on her bed. We set an alarm for 3:00am to take her out again and went to sleep. 

When the alarm sounded at 3:00am I got up and walked out to Delilah. I flipped on the light and approached her pen speaking in a sweet voice and saying something like "Hi there pretty girl. I've come to take you outside one more time. You are such a sweet girl. Don't worry I'm going to take care of you." To my surprise for the first time since she had been dropped off at 6:00pm, she wagged her tail. This was the first major breakthrough and it had only taken 9 hours. 

Delilah's Rescue - As told by Cathy of Bff4Pets Rescue

This is the story of Delilah's rescue on April 22nd 2013 as told by Cathy Borrego of Bff4Pets Rescue.

"Delilah lived her days at the side of field hands in grapefruit orchards in Thermal, California. There she spent time faithfully with her field hand caregiver. The field hands on the property fed their dogs and cared for them as well as can be expected within their meager means. Rattlesnakes are prevalent where it is cool from the blazing sun and where there are gophers and citrus fruit for dessert. It is also a cool place for the dogs to rest during the day. Hence it was in this terrain that Delilah lived and had her pups and had her run in with a rattlesnake. Two weeks prior to her rescue, Delilah was attacked by a rattlesnake while protecting her puppies. She is a fighter. She fought the venom that ravished her head and throat area with swelling and inflammation that eventually led to a festering wound. Still she used her strength that remained to nurse and care for her pups.

And then a weekend in April….

"Rescue Group #1" arrived at Delilah’s field where they removed Delilah's pups with the hopes that they may be adopted through their organization.

"Rescue Group #2" alerted me that the rattlesnake attacked mom, Delilah was left behind after her puppies were removed and was in need of medical attention.

"Rescue group #2" coordinated the means for me to find her and arranged a temporary foster for Delilah. A Big Thank you to rescue group #2 who would not let her be forgotten and her great foster family.

April 22nd - After arriving and speaking with the field hands on the property I discovered they were grateful for her to be rescued and that she would receive medical attention. In their words it would be “a sin” to deny her help in her condition.

April 23rd - Delilah was seen by Dr. Conner of Desert Dunes Animal Hospital where her wound was medically debrided and dying flesh was cut away. An injectable antibiotic was administered and a medical exam was done. Delilah will be fostered by a former Vet Tech who will oversee see her day to day improvements administer meds to her twice daily and get her on the path to a happy life. 

Delilah’s other Medical Conditions...

Delilah is highly emaciated and loaded with intestinal parasites (worms). Dr. Connor felt suspicious knots during her physical examination and took X-rays. Upon examination of her Xrays, he discovered that Delilah has multiple fractures in her right rear leg. We will revisit these fractures after her recovery period from the worms, rattlesnake bite, and emaciated health. When health permits she will be completely vaccinated, spayed and micro chipped and will be looking for a permanent new home. That will not be anytime soon." -Cathy on 4/24/13

Delilah's rattlesnake bite wound on the day of her rescue.

The grapefruit orchards where Delilah lived.

Delilah being loaded into the car on the day of her rescue.

At the Vet.

The First Time We Saw Delilah

This blog is the story of Delilah from rescue to adoption as told by her foster family. 

Delilah is around 3 years old and is a medium sized mixed breed dog.

The first time we ever saw Delilah was in a video on the Facebook page of a local rescue. The rescue is called Bff4Pets. The rescue's website is bff4pets.com and their Facebook page is www.facebook.com/bff4pets

This is the video that we saw. Be warned - It does show her rattlesnake bite wound and it is not for the squeamish...

http://youtu.be/GE0dvb01Rgk

We were compelled to help this poor sweet dog. We contacted Cathy of Bff4Pets Rescue and offered to foster Delilah. We received Delilah on the evening of April 24th 2013.

We are starting this blog a bit late so we will have to play some catch up.