In Morocco, the Beledi Refuge received a call from a vet who was dealing with a desperate case. A man had brought in a three-month-old puppy with a massive tumor weighing more than the rest of his body. The puppy was in a lot of pain and distress, but the owner didn’t want help; instead, he wanted to euthanize the dog. The vet couldn’t do it as he believed that the puppy might still have a chance of survival. The owner didn’t care about any options; he just wanted to get rid of the dog. The vet suspected that the tumor was not placed in a hard-to-reach area like the brain, and he hoped that something could be done to help the young pup. The vet called the Beledi Refuge, and thankfully, they agreed to help.
The rescue team had to drive for hours to get the puppy, named Navajo, to the specialist. The tumor was even bigger than they had expected, but Navajo was full of love and curiosity. The rescue team took Navajo to the specialist, and they received the saddest news. Navajo definitely had a massive tumor that would have to be removed, but when the experts told them why the dog had the tumor in the first place, they couldn’t believe it. The tumor had come from a big hernia, the type of hernia that a dog this young would only get from massive trauma like someone kicking him very hard in his side. Navajo’s previous owner had not only dumped him because of the tumor but he was also likely the reason for it in the first place.
The rescue team scheduled the surgery, and people were worried that Navajo’s heart had taken a lot of surgery strain. The medical team was really happy with the results. They had managed to get the entire tumor and repair the hernia. Navajo had been given a second chance at life, and they couldn’t wait to see what he’d do with it.
Navajo could walk, but he still had drainage pipes attached to the wound, and he was weak. Everyone was excited, but the very next day, that excitement would turn to dread. Suddenly, Navajo was too weak to get up. His temperature had gone through the roof, and he could barely manage to lift his head. They tried to give him water, but he wouldn’t drink. The dog that looked so much better the previous day now looked like he was on the brink of dying.
The rescue team took over keeping an eye on Navajo around the clock that night. If his condition changed even slightly, they could get the vets and they could try and help him. They gave him strong antibiotics, and this messed with his stomach again, but right now stopping any infection in his blood was more important. They could fix the other problems later.
The next day, Navajo was too weak to get to interact with other dogs until his immune system was stronger. But the moment he got to interact with other dogs, he turned right back into a happy puppy. He was still only a few months old, but for the first time, he could run around playing with his friends, and the handlers at The Refuge and he could feel completely safe. It was the type of life that the first vet who saved him hoped he could have his hernia had completely healed after the surgery and he was tumor-free. Now, they could watch him be happy and help him find his forever family, one that deserved him, thanks to all the people that had worked so hard to save Navajo.
