Last week, an animal shelter in Palm Springs, Florida, came across one of the saddest cases of animal abuse that it had ever encountered.
A tiny black puppy, just weeks old, was brought into the Miami Dade shelter after someone found him suffering in an industrial area. His body was burned and broken, and he was in constant pain.
The pup was then transferred to Mutty Paws rescue, and they immediately began caring for the critically ill puppy and took his story to social media in hopes that other kind-hearted people would chip in for the pup’s staggering medical bills.
WARNING: Some readers may find the following images disturbing.
“If we ever needed your help, we need it now,” the group shared on Friday. “We are in tears. We don’t even know what to say. This little 3lb boy was found in Miami by warehouses and brought to MDAS as #a2340462.
“HE IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION & we are fighting for his life. He is 4 weeks old and his 4 weeks of life have been hell! When we received his rescue plea.. we didn’t grasp how bad his burns actually would be in person. He is in so much pain, he is IN SHOCK and all he does is cry. His breathing is labored, his skin is sloughing off of him.
“SOMEONE TORTURED HIM. How anyone could do this to any animal, let alone a 3lb baby is incomprehensible. The mayor of Miami needs to do better. Most of our cruelty cases come from South & a blind eye is turned to it daily! This is unacceptable. This is disgusting and humanity has continually failed the voiceless! We will stop at nothing to save his life & we need our entire village to help us. His bills will mount up quickly for the care he needs well into the thousands!”
On Saturday, the puppy, whom they named “Dade,” was seen by the rescue’s veterinarians and then “immediately transferred” to an emergency clinic, according to an update post from Mutty Paws.
His status was considered critical and he needed intensive around-the-clock medical care.
Thankfully Dade had an appetite, and despite the intense pain he was in, he was able to eat. Labs showed that he would need a transfusion as well, and every day he spent in critical care added another $1,000 to his tab.
“Dade update: he has survived another night after receiving an emergency blood transfusion late yesterday afternoon,” Mutty Paws posted on Sunday. “His PCV went up to 27% from 13% following the transfusion and that will be repeated again shortly to make sure it’s holding.
“He is still considered critical condition and is not out of the woods by a long shot. He is still eating and drinking and receiving wound care multiple times a day as well as pain management. Yesterday’s emergency transfusion cost was an additional $1076.35.”
The group’s Facebook fundraiser has raised over $1,200 so far, not including direct donations.
Many supporters are hoping that as Dade’s story reaches more people, more people will be compelled to donate to his cause as well as push for identifying and punishing the individuals responsible for his sorry state.
Some people in the comments also voiced their concern that other puppies might be suffering as well near the location where this one was found, and Mutty Paws said they’d urged the Miami Dade shelter to scout out the area if they knew the exact location.
You can follow along with Dade’s progress by following the Mutty Paws Facebook Page.
“We can not do it without your support,” the rescue wrote. “We can’t thank you enough for helping us save him this far.”
