In late March we heard about a dog being surrendered at the shelter with severe puncture wounds. The dog had been mauled and the unfortunate reality is that they had no money to pay for his care and saw the shelter as the only way to get him help. The only problem is that the shelter does not accept injured surrenders like that and for good reason. Luckily for Little Bear Zach walked in the door just as he had been brought in and was able to get him over to the vet to begin saving his life. He had 10+ serious puncture wounds and his entire body was bruised, swollen and lacerated.
We had to take it slow with Little Bear and his wound repair because his wounds were older than we had originally thought, infected, and so numerous. He’s was put on on IV fluids, pain meds and strong antibiotics for several days followed by surgery. The fear had fallen away from him but he is still in a lot of pain. His healing process will take a long time because he has had large patches of dead tissue removed that simply can’t heal over; you need healthy skin for that and he doesn’t have it. VCA has special equipment for these types of injuries to help stave off infection and promote healing. After discussions with Dr. Cabrera and Dr. MacDonald at VCA West Los Angeles we moved Little Bear into their care where he had surgery and they treated all of his severe wounds.
Now little bear is doing amazing and is ready for adoption! His foster mom says that Little Bear is coming to life, in a good way. Starting to show his playful side, they come in very short spurts, streaking back and forth in the yard this morning for the first time. He’s healing up nicely and is ready to join a forever family!
If you’re interested in adoption Little Bear please fill out the adoption application below.
