It was a typical September day last year when the folks at The Animal Pad, a dog rescue in San Diego, California, received an urgent call from the emergency veterinarian they partnered with. The vet told them about a German shepherd puppy who’d arrived at the ER with a reported dog bite wound, but something else seemed to be happening.
The Animal Pad took the dog, later named Chance, in and got to work on stabilizing him while running every test they could. Despite the pain and fear, Chance’s sweet personality shone through.
“You can tell he is a very special dog behind it all,” The Animal Pad wrote on Facebook. “His first year on the planet should not have been this, and now he’s fighting for his life.”
One blood transfusion and many tests later, Chance was diagnosed with an abscess in his face, which would need to be surgically drained. It was a painstaking process, but the veterinarian team ultimately drained the abscess and restored Chance’s face to its typical size. He immediately felt so much better.
While they celebrated the removal of his abscess, the vet team was still wary of Chance’s prognosis. His bloodwork still showed signs of chronic illness, and he was painfully skinny. But still, Chance’s caregivers showered him with love and continued with a treatment plan to help him grow and thrive.
It’s been a few months since Chance’s rescue, and the resilient boy is now stronger than ever. He’s since gone to a foster home, where he’s been enjoying playing with other pups and cuddling with his humans.