Mabel
At 5am on a Sunday in July, a disheveled shitzu was found tied to a bench in a dog park. Next to the dog, were bowls, food and a couple of toys. Yet another dog had been abandoned. The kind person who found Mabel brought her to Hamilton Animal Services, but of course, no owner came forward to claim her. This poor dog has suffered serious neglect of her health. To start with, she is extremely thin. You can feel every bone in her body. Her teeth are horrendous. During her time at the shelter, she wouldn’t eat very much, and was exhibiting signs of a urinary issue. To top it off, she seems to be partially blind and deaf. Despite all this, Mabel is sweet as pie. Just wants to be loved by every person she meets.
We were happy to get Mabel out of the shelter when a foster home opened up, and Mabel went to the vet first thing. From initial tests, it seems likely that Mabel is suffering from late stage kidney disease. We’ll have to wait for other test results to come back to know for sure, but that diagnosis would explain her body condition, urinary issue, and her lack of appetite. Mabel’s foster family are experienced with senior dogs with health issues, and we know they’ll give Mabel all the proper care and spoiling she deserves.
When the shelter first asked us to help Mabel, our plan was to get her to the vet and schedule the dental surgery she desperately needs. But surgery is not an option for her in her current condition. We aren’t sure if she’ll ever be healthy enough to get that surgery, or to be made available for adoption, but we will do our best to help her feel better. She will stay with us as long as she needs to – even if that means she becomes a permanent resident. Our hope is that with all the love we show her, Mabel will come to know she is safe and will never be abandoned again.
Welcome to Ladybird, Mabel! We’re so happy you’re here.
August 11/24 UPDATE
After many tests, it has been determined that Mabel has stage 4 kidney disease. She’s doing well, but is definitely showing signs of the disease. As there is no surgery to help with kidney disease at this advanced stage, Mabel is now on medication to help keep her as stable as possible.
Because of her age and health issues, we’ve made Mabel a Ladybird permanent resident. This means she’ll stay with her foster family for the remainder of her life, and we will continue to cover the cost of medical care, food and supplies.
Mabel’s very caring foster family are the perfect fit for her, and we’re glad she has them and another dog friend (Polly) to spend the rest of her days with.
Though we are happy Mabel is safe and loved now, we wish her previous owners would have taken steps to get her the care she needed, or simply surrendered her. Abandoning Mabel the way they did was so unfair to her. When she needed her family the most – in her senior years and feeling poorly, her owners tied her to a bench in a dog park and walked away. Imagine how scared and confused Mabel must have been, and continued to be when she ended up at the shelter afterwards. Pet abandonment of this kind is at an all time high and there seems to be no end in sight. We understand some of the reasons people are no longer able to care for a pet, but dumping an animal is not the answer. We’ll never know exactly why Mabel’s owners chose to discard her in this manner, but we will do right by her for the rest of her days. She will be loved, medically cared for, and she will live without fear of being abandoned again.
We love you Mabel.
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