Over the weekend a pitbull-mix was surrendered to the Humane Society of Midland County after being taken to a veterinary clinic in critical condition and severely malnourished.
After raising funds through the Humane Society’s Facebook page, the pitbull-mix named Clark Kent was able to receive emergency surgery and is now on the road to recovery.
“He would have been dead within a matter of days at the most, had someone not intervened,” said Beth Wellman, shelter director at the Humane Society of Midland County.
According to Wellman, someone close to the owner discovered the dog’s condition. That lead to the dog being taken to the M20 Animal Hospital.
“Vet clinics would not do that unless things were extremely bad, so it’s not dangerous to take your animal to the vet,” said Wellman. “This dog’s condition was beyond anything they’d seen.”
The hospital then called the Humane Society, as well as Animal Control, due to the dog’s extreme condition. Animal Control forced the surrender of the dog from its owners.
“They did everything they could to stabilize him, but he needed blood transfusions, 24 hour monitoring, and they suspected (from x-rays) he had a foreign body,” Wellman said.
Unfortunately, Clark Kent’s intestines were so dilated and inflamed they couldn’t be 100% sure. Another vet clinic, Wilson’s Veterinary Hospital in Romeo, Michigan, was able to take him in. There he received a blood transfusion. After emergency surgery they were able to remove the foreign body — a corncob — from his intestines.
“That foreign body had been in there for 6-8 weeks and was likely the cause of his condition, being unable to eat and keep anything in his system for almost 2 months,” Wellman said.
When they first contacted Wilson’s Veterinary Hospital the staff estimated the cost of his care would be $5,000 to $7,000. Because the Humane Society is run solely on donations and adoption fees, Wellman decided to post a donation link asking for help with raising money to pay for Clark Kent’s medical bills.
“At this point we’ve never had an animal lose its life due to the cost of care and we didn’t want to start now,” said Wellman.
The community rallied behind Clark Kent and raised nearly $8,000 for his ongoing treatment.
The dog is now eating on his own, is more alert, and even wags his tail.
Currently, the Humane Society is unsure of when the dog will be released, so all funds raised by the community will go towards the vet clinic. It was initially expected to spend a minimum of 5-7 days at the hospital.
“We’re already four days in and he’s nowhere near coming home,” she said.
Until he is able to walk and stand, Clark Kent will stay at the hospital. Once he is able to be released, he will go into a foster home to continue to recoup, before being available for adoption.
“This dog is proving to be extremely resilient and a fighter, defying odds,” said Wellman.