Daisy and Petal are two beautiful Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross dogs who experienced a heartbreaking start to their lives.
A few months ago, they were abandoned in a park inside a plastic box. Having been severely neglected, they were in a bad way and required urgent veterinary attention. Initially, they were collected by the police and ended up in the dog pound. However, as they were so vulnerable, the pound asked Rescue Me Sanctuary in Liverpool to arrange a stray hold and take them in.
The dogs appeared to be pups yet had full sets of adult teeth. Due to being so malnourished, they were tiny and weighed only a fraction of what they should. They also had pressure sores and urine stains.
Daisy and Petal seemed okay on arrival to the rescue but by the next morning, Daisy was vomiting. As it was a Sunday, they went straight to the emergency vets and Daisy was admitted for hospitalisation. She continued to deteriorate and required emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage.
The following day, Petal also became unwell with vomiting. Further testing on the two dogs revealed that they were suffering from parvovirus, a virus that causes severe illness and can be deadly. Parvovirus damages the dog’s gut lining and attacks the body’s ability to fight infection, causing their immune systems to be weakened and making the virus very difficult to recover from.
Daisy and Petal received treatment for the virus, but they continued to decline. Daisy was particularly suffering and going downhill rapidly. Both dogs looked like they might not pull through. They both received a plasma transfusion as a last resort to save them. This gave the glimmer of hope that everyone had been hoping for as finally the girls’ conditions improved for the first time in a week. They began to eat again, started to build strength, and are heading in the right direction towards a full recovery from their devastating ordeal.
Rescue Me Animal Sanctuary in Liverpool supported the girls throughout their care and treatment, working closely with their veterinary teams at Vets4Pets, Walton Vale and MyPetsVets in Leigh to bring them back to health. The rescue gave them a loving place to recover and rest. They have been being cared for in foster homes while they continued finding their feet and gaining strength until they were ready to be rehomed. Petal has now been adopted and the rescue will be appealing soon to find Daisy her forever home.
Daisy and Petal had a traumatic start in life but are now in the hands of people who will love and care for them properly. We are proud to have been a part of their journey and given them the blood they needed to recover and have a second chance.
Meet the donors
Daisy received blood from one of our donors named Nancy and Petal received blood from a donor named Flynn. Nancy’s owner Amanda said, ‘It makes me very proud of Nancy that she has helped a lovely dog. My eyes are watering just reading and writing this email.’
If your dog is fit and healthy, between 1 and 8 years old, weighs over 25kg, and is confident, they could become a blood donor and help to save the lives of dogs like Daisy and Petal.
