Almost exactly one year ago, Bree Rauck was volunteering with a local animal rescue. She loved dogs and wanted a chance to give back. Cathy, a co-founder of the rescue told her that a puppy would be arriving soon and to watch for it. Soon, a lady came walking up with a malnourished, injured and broken male pup. He had been found roaming Busch Blvd. in Tampa. Bree’s heart went out the pup, and she called her husband to ask if they could foster it. Her husband, Tracy, shared Bree's enthusiasm for animals and said of course!
That night and most of Saturday, the puppy, which they named Brindle, was lively and happy. Then, all of a sudden on Saturday night he became lethargic and began vomiting. Brindle didn't act at all like the puppy he had been just hours before.
The next day, Brindle was taken to the vet and diagnosed with hook worms and Parvo.
Canine parvovirus can be serious and sometimes fatal. There are three main ways that Parvo can appear.
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- Asymptomatic - This is the most common type in dogs over one year old. Asymptomatic means that there are no signs.
- Cardiac – This is the least common type, but it does affect the heart muscle by killing the cells. Most dogs that are younger than eight weeks old don't survive. Older dogs can survive but will have scarring in their heart muscle.
- Intestinal – This causes damage to cells in the intestinal tract and leads to infection. Most dogs with this type are young - between six and 20 weeks old - and this condition can be fatal.
The vet informed Bree that things would definitely get worse for Brindle before they got better. On Tuesday, when she returned to the vet, she was told tha Brindle had a 20% chance of survival.
Bree’s heart was sinking in her stomach. How could this happen to such a young pup? Why would someone allow this poor thing to get so sick? She decided to leave him at the vet for monitoring and fluid administration, a cycle which lasted two days.
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At the same time this was happening, Bree was also trying to prepare five kids for school. She was exhausted both emotionally and physically.
On Thursday night, Tracy woke her and told her that she needed to see something. As he led her to the laundry room where Brindle was quarantined, she feared the worst. What she saw made her cry for joy. Brindle was up and moving, his tail was wagging, and he even tried to jump on her! Bree said later that it was such an emotional week, when she saw Brindle moving like this it was almost as meaningful as giving birth to her children.
Brindle was dropped off at the vet the next day for more fluids, and when Bree returned, the vet had changed their outcome from a 20% survival rate to an 80% survival rate. In only one week’s time he had improved 60%, and when Bree returned Saturday for another IV of fluids, she found out that Brindle was Parvo free.
On January 30, Brindle went from being a foster to being a healthy active adopted pet!
Who were his adoptive parents? You guessed it - Bree and Tracy Rauck!
If you find a stray dog in Gulfport, contact one of your local no-kill pet rescues:
- Pet Pal Animal Shelter, 405 22nd St. St. Petersburg, FL 33712
- Friends of Strays, Inc., 2911 47th Ave North, St. Petersburg, FL 33714