This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

An Obese Min Pin, Three Legged Cats and a Heart Transplant

Here is an update on Joy the obese Min Pin dog, Annie and Tripod the three legged cats and Kendall and Cooper the heart transplant recipient and the lost dog.

We have had such a huge response to some recent stories that we have posted from the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society (PEHS) and we would like to give everyone an update on some of our favorites from the past month. 

One of our most popular residents during the past few months has been Joy the Min Pin dog.  She came to the PEHS shelter the day after Thanksgiving and was morbidly obese.  She had been abandoned in a rest area along Interstate 35.  She weighed 21.4 lbs when she came to us with a waist that measured 23 inches in diameter.  She couldn’t walk more than 5 feet and was having difficulty breathing due to the weight. She also did not seem to know what dog food was or understand it was ok to eat out of her dish.  She simply did not know how to be a dog.  After 2 ½ months at the shelter and in foster care she managed to drop her weight to 16.4 lbs and her waist to 20.5 inches and is now able to walk almost 5 blocks with no problem.  She slowly came out of her shell and developed into a sweet, loving, fun little dog who grabbed all of our hearts at the PEHS shelter.  She learned it was ok to eat out of a dish and she even began to play a little with toys.  We are very excited and happy to report that Joy, now known as Abby, has been adopted into her forever home!  Her new people live very close to the PEHS shelter and will be keeping up with her diet and exercise routine.  Abby was also diagnosed with hypothyroid disease prior to leaving the PEHS shelter so she will be required to take medication the rest of her life, but she is very good about taking pills and is expected to do just fine.  In the short time that she has been in her new home she has already lost another 2 ounces!  Abby’s new home reports that she goes for several short walks each day and is flourishing!  It was a bittersweet goodbye the day Abby left us.  We had all grown so used to her following us around the shelter and alerting us anytime a new person came through the door.  Her exercise routine became a game each day and it was so fun to watch her experience new sites and sounds on a regular basis.  Abby left the shelter with more belongings than I think any other animal ever has!  It took three of us to carry her blankets, toys, clothes and supplies to the car of her new family.  A few tears were shed as we all said goodbye and had MANY photos taken with her but the outcome for Abby was exactly what we had always hoped it would be and the tears were because we will miss her but we are so happy she is healthy and safe in her new home with the love she so deserves.  Her new family will be bringing Abby to the PEHS shelter on a regular basis for a weigh in and so that we can help keep Abby on the right track to lose the remaining weight she needs to lose.  Goodbye and good luck Abby, you are a little dog with a big heart that touched many people! 

Annie and Tripod were two kittens who came into the PEHS shelter within two days of each other both with only three working legs.  Tripod was missing a portion of one of her back legs, possibly due to a trap and Annie had a front leg that she was not using which showed no neurological response whatsoever.  Both kittens were strays, one found in Waterville and the other in Faribault so we have no way of knowing what may have caused these injuries.  Tripod’s injured leg was treated and allowed to heal over with just a couple of stitches to help it.  Annie unfortunately had to have her leg amputated at the shoulder by our shelter veterinarian.  Both kittens adjusted to their injuries with amazing results.  They are both extremely playful and have no problems getting around with only three legs each.  They are typical busy, goofy kittens.  They were both placed on the adoption floor on January 23rd and we are happy to report that Annie was adopted on January 25th!  Tripod is still waiting for that special someone to give her a forever home, but she’s a very busy little girl in the cat colony, running and playing with toys and even climbing the large cat trees and laying on the very top level.   Three legs don’t slow her down at all!  These are two very special kittens who even though they were tiny injured babies when they came to PEHS they showed all of us that size is no indicator when it comes to being brave and strong. 

Find out what's happening in Northfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And now for an update on our most recommended story ever on Patch!  We have had numerous people comment and ask about Kendall and Cooper, a heart transplant recipient and a lost dog who touched all of our hearts simply by hanging out at the PEHS shelter.  Kendall received a new heart on Christmas Eve,was released from Abbott hospital on New Year’s and began volunteering at the PEHS shelter on January 19th, where he met Morris (now known as Cooper) a dog who was found wandering in the countryside on New Year’s.  Kendall wanted to volunteer at the shelter because he had discovered that hanging out with dogs helped with his recovery and some of the side effects of the anti-rejection medication.  It also helped him to pass some time while being required to stay near the hospital until doctors gave him the ok to return to his home in Dickinson, North Dakota. Kendall’s most recent heart biopsy this week came back showing zero rejection and his blood work was good as well.  All great news!  He was able to head back to his home in Dickinson, along with Cooper, his new family member whom he adopted from PEHS.  We all learned a lot from Kendall and Cooper and we are privileged to call them our friends and consider both of them permanent “family” members of the PEHS staff.  In the short amount of time we got to spend with Kendall we all discovered what an amazing attitude he has and it was contagious.  He has been through so much, yet is so positive.  On the day he got the word from his doctors that he could return home he came to the PEHS shelter to pick up Cooper and to say goodbye to all of us.  He gave us a framed quote for the shelter that a friend had forwarded to him which Kendall felt fit the animals at the shelter as well; it reads “Someone once asked me how I hold my head up so high after all I’ve been through.  I said, it’s because no matter what, I AM a SURVIVOR. Not a Victim.”  He is correct; it does fit the animals at the shelter and it definitely fit Kendall.  This now hangs on the wall in the lobby at the PEHS shelter next to a photo of our friends Kendall and Cooper so that we will all remember his positive energy whenever we look at it.  Kendall is keeping in touch with us and giving us updates on Cooper and on himself. Cooper is doing great at his new home in North Dakota, loves to run in the yard and continues to help Kendall with his recovery.  Kendall still has some rough days and is still dealing with pain at times from the transplant, but he has Cooper to help comfort him on those days.  We are so blessed to have been able to help bring Kendall and Cooper together.  They both deserve good things in their lives at this point because they both have “good” hearts! 

There are good things happening at the Prairie’s Edge Humane Society every day!  These are not just “stories”, they are real life and they are what happen at an animal shelter on a regular basis between the animals and humans.  The unconditional love of an animal can bring so much to the life of a human.  Animals teach us so much on a daily basis.  They are resilient, brave, strong, loyal and loving.  All the qualities we all want in a friend and all qualities shared by Abby, Annie, Tripod, Kendall and Cooper.

Find out what's happening in Northfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We will be will be hosting our Annual Dinner and “Auction for the Animals” on Saturday, March 23rd at the Northfield Eagles Club.  You can support PEHS by attending the dinner and bidding on the silent auction items. Tickets are available at the PEHS shelter, Cannon Valley Veterinary Clinic, Countryside Animal Hospital and Premier Bank in Northfield.  You can also help the animals at PEHS by clicking on the link below and making a secure on line donation.

http://www.prairiesedgehs.org/donations/ 

If you would like to read the original stories of Joy, Annie, Tripod, Kendall and Cooper, you can click on the below links. 

http://northfield.patch.com/blog_posts/the-journey-of-joy-the-dog

 

 

 

 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Northfield