His rescuers weren’t sure he’d make it, but now …
When Monarch arrived at Austin Pets Alive!’s Parvo ICU the day before Thanksgiving, the team was worried. He was only 6 months old, yet he was deathly ill.
Monarch had been diagnosed with canine parvovirus — a life-threatening disease that attacks vital systems in dogs. And his case was severe.
“I met him a couple of days after his intake. He was lethargic and didn’t want to move,” Mindy, a volunteer with Austin Pets Alive!’s Parvo ICU, said in a press release. “He was throwing up, but crawled over and put his head in my lap. He wanted his whole body in, but he didn’t fit!”
They were determined to do everything they could to help him, but the bottom line was that he might not make it.
Even though he could barely walk, Monarch snuggled up to the volunteer, finding comfort in her lap and her loving demeanor. He used all the energy he had left to show her love, and the team could see that he still had some fight left in him.
Over the next few days, Monarch underwent extensive treatment and was monitored closely. He’d arrived at the shelter barely alive, but in less than a week, he completely transformed. Somehow, he was going to make it.
The team could tell that Monarch was feeling so much better, but the feisty pup decided he wanted to show them himself. So, he broke free from his kennel and showed the staff just how great he was at opening doors.
“This smart boy, who arrived at our care sitting at death’s door just days earlier, made the decision to discharge himself from the hospital,” Luis Sanchez, director of public relations and communications at Austin Pets Alive!, told The Dodo. “He was ready.”
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The team administered a parvo test and was thrilled to discover that Monarch was now negative for the disease. He was ready to leave the parvo program and join the adoption program, and his new family wasted no time finding him.
“It took him just 24 hours to find his new family and get his second chance,” Sanchez said. “His dad, Nathan, shared that he chose Monarch because ‘He was the coolest … and he felt like mine.’”
Monarch went from an uncertain future to a bright, beautiful one, thanks to the staff and volunteers who refused to give up on him.