'Hope' Released From 24-Hour Care

(Editor's Note: For those of you who haven't been following the story of Hope, you've missed a lot. A month ago someone driving by saw a dog struggling to walk in Branford. She took the dog to the Dan Csogrove Animal Shelter and staff called it "one of the worst cases of animal cruelty" they had ever seen. Staff said the dog was starved and was a day or two away from death. Over the past month, shelter staff have cared for the dog around the clock and named it 'Hope.' A reward of $5,000 has been issued by PETA for information on who did this to 'Hope.' The shelter has been providing daily updates concerning Hope's recovery.)

Written by the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter

Hi Everyone Here is the Hope update for today!

Hope is having another great week so far! So great in fact that she was released from 24 hour care today!!! She will still be fostered by her head nurse so she will still receive 24 hour care (it’s just not having to be done under the direction of a vet). She will still visit the vet 2 to 3 times a week for checkups. Last night her bloodwork showed that her liver values were nearing the normal range! YAY!!! We were all so excited for that!

We know everyone has been asking who was responsible for helping Hope…… and there were two Veterinary Hospitals involved. The first was Branford Veterinary Hospital in Branford. They were the first vets to see Hope upon intake and they were the ones providing all the original treatment.

Hope would go home each night with vets and vet techs and their equipment for 24 hour care. We are so very appreciative for all that they have done both medically and just by being so compassionate for Hope and loving her through this.

The second Veterinary Hospital was Pieper Memorial Vet Hospital in Middletown. The vets there were responsible for Hope for about 13-14 days of care. They were the ones who so delicately performed the endoscopy to remove the toy so Hope would not have to have surgery. They also provided Hope with round the clock care and were so compassionate and loving towards her. At Pieper Memorial, Hope had an entire team overseeing her care from internal medicine doctors, surgeons, to nutritionists, etc.

We cannot express how grateful we are to both Veterinary Hospitals for their dedication, persistence and belief in Hope. Some may have given up, but not any of these amazing people! All we can say is Thank You, Thank You, Thank You from the bottom of our hearts for giving us Hope.

The other news we found out by conducting a DNA test on Hope is that she is predominantly Rottweiler but also has a small amount of Chinese Shar Pei and Beagle in her. It is likely that one of her parents was a purebred Rotti, so if anyone knows of dogs that were being bred with that combination, please contact us.

We will Update everyone again on Monday!! Thank you all for believing in Hope and for supporting us through this whole journey!