Austin Bulldog Rescue would humbly like to request funding for a recent intake named Sulley with a very unexpected emergency expense. Sulley is an Olde English Bulldogge who had been seen wandering in a neighborhood for a few weeks. Thankfully, as Texas temperatures climbed to well over 100 degrees every day, a kind family brought him indoors and began to search for his home. Eventually, they contacted Austin Bulldog Rescue to help find him a forever home since no one came forward to claim him.
Sulley was in good spirits when he arrived at his ABR foster home. He was playful, snuggly, and overall, appeared to be very healthy and well-mannered. He had his first intake vet appointment with bloodwork, and his vet was shocked at the results. Sulley's PCV was 13%, and he was dangerously anemic, despite showing no clinical signs of being ill. He would need immediate hospitalization and a blood transfusion to survive.
After further testing, it was determined that Sulley's iron levels were also very low, and it was extremely unlikely his body would be able to regenerate its own red blood cells, given the state he was in. His vet believes his anemia was caused by being bitten by so many fleas and pests during his time as a stray. Sulley's values indicated he was on the verge of collapsing any day, if quick action was not taken.
Sulley was hospitalized at an emergency and specialty vet and needed two blood transfusions and an iron infusion to recover. He was also sent home with supplements and medication to ensure his values keep improving. ABR feels so fortunate that we were able to secure Sulley a foster and welcome him to rescue before he started to decline, especially given that he wasn't showing any signs of feeling sick or weak. Our rescue takes in so many cases where an owner has not been giving prevention to their dogs or is keeping them outdoors here in Texas. Sulley is a testament to why providing for just the basic needs of a dog could be the difference that saves their life.
The other really important thing to know about Sulley's rescue story is that like much of Texas, the Austin area vet community is dealing with a shortage of blood due to the high number of emergency cases that have come in. Austin Bulldog Rescue volunteers drove Sulley to three different Emergency Clinics looking for care, before finding the only one in the area who could provide a lifesaving transfusion. Pet owners can actually ask their dog's regular vet if they are a candidate to donate blood. If they are healthy enough to qualify, this could end up saving another dog's life and ensure dogs like Sulley get the help they need as quickly as possible.
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