Rescuers were greeted by a heartbreaking scene when they answered an urgent call from a Good Samaritan who witnessed a puppy being abandoned in a crate. The man had thought the people were dumping old tires in a lot next to his but when he went over he was shocked to find an emaciated Pit Bull puppy covered in maggots.
The puppy was in such a pitiful state it broke the hearts of Donna and Natalie from Stray Rescue of St. Louis when they saw her.
Prayer as she was found. Stray Rescue of St. Louis
“We arrived and were horrified,” Stray Rescue wrote of what they found. “This little puppy was too weak to stand – emaciated and in her own filth – covered in maggots. They were all over her, eating her alive – on her head, her chest, her armpits, and between all of her toes.”
“I told her she’s love…It’s about to make me cry,” the man says to Donna in the video. “In Jesus’ name, live,” he prays to the puppy. They decided to name the puppy Prayer because she so desperately needed them. And as they carried her back to the car, they noticed how skinny she was and that she was rasping.
Donna and Natalie rushed Prayer to their clinic where they cleaned the maggots and eggs off of her and began to administer medical care. Her skin had been macerated “due to being in feces and urine for so long” and the rescuers noted that “This was the worst abuse we have seen in a long time.”
Although Prayer drank some water her first day she wouldn’t eat until the following day. Prayer ate a special “recovery soup” much to the rescuers’ relief and delight. But she was still in critical condition as her sodium levels were off the charts because she was so severely dehydrated.
The puppy was rushed to an emergency clinic to be treated for it. “High sodium levels in dogs can be deadly, so she is not out of the woods by any means,” the group shares. “We have to very slowly and carefully lower her sodium to avoid brain swelling. We have to watch for seizures, uncoordinated movements, and loss of consciousness. She most likely has such high sodium from ingesting nothing but urine for who knows how long.”
Tears gave way to smiles a few days later when Prayer was able to return to the shelter. She lifted her head up and wagged her tail as she was warmly greeted by staff.
Prayer is such a little fighter. “Her life has been awful – literally torture – but she is fighting for something better! Your prayers are working, keep them coming,” Stray Rescue wrote in an update.
Prayer was rescued on Monday and by Friday Prayer’s sodium levels were finally in normal range at 156. When she first was rescued her sodium level was greater than 180, as high as the machine would go. Normal range is between 145-157. “She’s still weak and her legs/feet give out – she’s sleeping a lot and getting the rest she needs.” But she was well enough to pose for this beautiful picture of her surrounded by origami cranes.
Prayer with origami cranes. Stray Rescue of St. Louis
The reason for the paper cranes, the rescue explained explained is that, “The origami crane is a symbol of resilience, strength, and peace. The tradition of making 1000 paper cranes for someone who is seriously ill has become a symbol of hope and healing. Here’s Prayer, the strongest little puppy we’ve ever met, with her 1000 origami cranes.”
To support Prayer and her recovery visit: Strayrescue.org/Prayer
Pupdate on Prayer:
Prayer is home! She has found a loving family and as of Friday (June 22, 2024) she now lives on a lake in Wisconsin where she’s got two moms, a canine sibling and gets to go on boat rides (with her cute life jacket on).
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
Prayer now weighs 19 pounds and is doing so well and she fortunately didn’t have to wait long at the shelter to find her forever home.
Stray Rescue of St. Louis
What a blessing this sweet girl will be to her new family.
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