Sick, Swollen Stray Dog Faints in Front of a Convenience Store
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When people say they don’t really like animals, most would at least raise an eyebrow with some level of doubt. Certainly, there are some individuals who like animals better than others, but even those who say they don’t like animals usually have a soft spot somewhere for them. That was never demonstrated more clearly than when a stray dog collapsed on the sidewalk, directly in front of a busy convenience store. Fortunately, there were a number of people who witnessed this and all of them came to help- even those who probably wouldn’t routinely refer to themselves as “dog people.”
An Animal in Need
There is no question about it, this poor dog was in desperate need of help. Experts agree that she was most likely struck by something, but they couldn’t figure out exactly what had struck her or even when it had happened. What they could agree on was that she was in need of immediate help if she were to have any chance of survival. The thing that happened immediately after she collapsed was nothing short of magical. As opposed to every patron or passerby just ignoring this sweet dog, everyone made the decision to come together in order to help her. It was obvious that she needed a veterinarian. Instead of worrying about how the bill for her medical care was going to be paid, all of these people came together and decided that they would take it upon themselves to care for the dog. That meant working as a team to get her off the sidewalk and into the veterinarian’s office as quickly as possible. It also meant taking on the expenses that would be incurred as a direct result of that treatment. The truly amazing thing here is that everyone in the group was more than willing to do their part. All they cared about was getting the dog help. If you’ve ever been a part of something truly magical, such as when you witness people from all walks of life coming together for the greater good, then you likely know what this feels like. For some, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thankfully, the decision to care for the dog was spearheaded by the individuals in the group who make a habit out of stepping in to correct things whenever and however they can.
Why Did This Dog Collapse?
You might be asking yourself why this dog collapsed in the first place. As it turns out, this is not as uncommon as you might think. Dogs have a tendency to faint, or collapse, when they are ill or injured. They may also faint as the direct result of getting too hot, especially if heatstroke is involved. In this particular case, the dog was clearly injured. Again, it’s worth noting that even an entire team of veterinarians couldn’t agree how she was injured initially. However, that didn;t change the fact that she had some type of horrific injury to her face. Furthermore, it had been a number of days since the injury had occurred, as she had already developed an infection that was quite severe. As a result of that infection, her face was badly swollen. She was also too weak to stand, or even to eat or drink. It was clear that she was going to have to fight in order to survive. She definitely wasn’t ready to give up, so everyone who was involved decided to fight just as hard on her behalf. That meant the need for emergency surgery to repair her damaged face as well as IV antibiotics to help control the infection. She also needed to be fitted with a feeding tube so she could get some much-needed nutrition. Through it all, everyone involved was surprised at how calm she remained, despite the fact that she was in obvious pain. Perhaps she somehow knew that her only chance of survival was with their help. Even when she started to regain her strength after a few days, she remained extremely calm about the situation, even when there were strangers all around her, poking and prodding her with needles of all sizes.
Do Dogs Commonly Faint?
The truth of the matter is that most dog owners will never have to worry about their beloved pet fainting. However, it can and does happen. It’s actually more likely to happen under certain circumstances, such as when you take your dog out for a walk in the hot summer sun or when she has been battling an infection. Not surprisingly, dogs aren’t really all that different from human beings when it comes to fainting. Just like our canine counterparts, most of us don’t have to worry about fainting. However, it’s never really off the table, as it can happen to anyone at any time. In addition, some are more susceptible than others. Typically, fainting occurs when there is some type of issue with blood circulation, such as when blood pressure drops suddenly. At other times, it happens because of a neurological issue. In any case, the key to understanding how best to cope with fainting is to get to the root cause of it and then address those issues directly. For most pet owners, it is something that will most likely only occur once. In the case of the dog who collapsed on the sidewalk, it was because of an injury that was made even worse by an infection that had been running rampant for a number of days. Once those issues were corrected, everything else started to fall into place. Today, she is happy, healthy and even finding her way in a new home. Talk about a story with a happy ending! Hopefully, her story will encourage others to step up and take action the next time they see an animal in need. Who knows, it just might be the best thing that some people will ever do, especially if they get a chance to have a new best friend at their side.
