Second Chance: Latte’s Very Bad Day!

30 Apr Second Chance: Latte’s Very Bad Day!

Since 1994, the Animal Resource Center and the Shops of Second Chance Humane Society have been dedicated to serving animals in Southwestern Colorado. Adoption hours are every day from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The facility is located at 177 County Rd 10, Ridgway, CO. View shelter pets and services online at secondchancehumane.org.

View shelter pets and services online at www.secondchancehumane.org.

“Connecting Pets, People, and Community While Saving Lives.”

View shelter pets and services online: www.adoptmountainpets.org.

Donate here or mail to: PO Box 2096, Ridgway, CO, 81432. 

Go here for more about Second Chance.

By 6 pm, Second Chance dogs are usually inside, settling down for the night. On most days,  staff leaves shortly after the shelter closes at 5:30, having put in a full day of hard work.

Tuesday, April 15, was a very busy, short-staffed, extra-hard kind of day. At 6 pm, we were just getting the dogs inside when Camille noticed that Latte was in distress. She was panting, bloated, and lying on her side in the dog run. Christine was also on site, so Camille consulted with her about what to do. Christine saw that Latte was in pain and needed immediate medical help. They got on the walkie and called clinic manager, Tabby, who was just walking out the door. Instead, she rushed to the dog den.

Tabby, being the pro that she is, recognized that Latte had GDV, or Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus. That is a life-threatening condition in which a dog’s stomach fills with gas and twists, cutting off blood flow. It is often referred to as “bloat” and requires immediate veterinary attention. With Latte, stress likely played a part. She’s a dear dog who is not a great shelter dog. She gets nervous, stressed, and anxious. In a home, we believe she’ll thrive, but here at the shelter, she struggles. On this particular day, her anxiety threatened her life.

Tabby, Christine, and Camille loaded up all 79 pounds of Latte and rushed to Ridgway Animal Hospital. Luckily, the venue has extended hours and is open until 8 pm. Dr. Justin Green was able to perform the emergency surgery and was helpful, professional, and soooo good with Latte.

Tabby, Camille, and Latte’s adventure was not over. After surgery, they drove Latte to Animal ER of the Western Slope in Grand Junction for overnight observation. That’s almost 4 hours of driving. Tabby and Camille got home at 1:00 in the morning. Tabby turned around to pick Latte up at 7:30 am. She then worked another 10-hour day with her usual duties, plus careful monitoring of Latte.

Nicholas Gilman, Second Chance Executive Director, says, “I’m constantly reminded of what incredible people we have at Second Chance. This emergency tested that dedication, and they did not hesitate to do anything and everything to save Latte’s life.”

Latte is now back at the shelter and recovering well with the care and attention from our staff.

As you can guess, this life-saving exercise was expensive.

Latte

Latte is a two-year-old mixed-breed black dog who has been at Second Chance for 18 months. She came from a backyard where she was not given attention, love, or care. We’ve worked so hard to teach her to trust and love. Her story was not going to end because she needed costly emergency surgery.

Donations to Latte’s Fund will cover this emergency and replenish our veterinary fund for future emergencies.

Please give generously.