A Day in the Life of an Animal Rescuer

NWAC was one several rescues contacted by a local vet emergency room regarding a four-year-old German Shepherd female who had been brought in for urinary blockage. She hadn’t peed for a week when she was brought in and surrendered for care by her owners. The ER was still running tests but was at the stage of preparing to move forward to rescue/foster.

In speaking with the ER, we told them we could not accept her into rescue until the cause of her blockage had been identified and clear steps were available for resolution. The ER determined that she needed specialist input and arranged for an emergency internal medical consult. They contacted NWAC to assist with transport to the specialist office and we agreed to provide the transport.

Upon arrival, NWAC was informed that the facility protocol required someone from the rescue to attend the emergency exam, ask any questions, and participate in steps to move forward. Unfortunately, after review by the specialist, their ER vet and an NWAC partner vet, all agreed the potential reasons for the repeated blockages were grim. Although the diagnostics helped rule out some of the possible causes, none of remaining options supported any quality of life.

It was a hard day for everyone: the original ER who spent hours on the phone setting up the specialist consult; the specialist who squeezed the emergency into their day; and the bewildered pup among strangers.

No winners today. Sometimes rescue is just plain hard.