Athena

Even though it's clear Athena has barely been surviving the harsh streets, she has been invisible. Heartworms, scabies, and maggots crawling in and out of her wounds doesn't just happen overnight…so, our question is how many people have turned a blind eye to Athena's cry for help?

When rescuers at Lola’s Lucky Day Rescue spotted the fly-swarmed baby, they legitimately thought she would be dead, as she was hiding underneath a truck. The team knew she didn’t have a lot of time and she needed to be saved, and fast. So they rushed her to the hospital where she was given IV fluids, pain meds, and daily anesthetized wound care. Her tail and pelvis were potentially broken, but she wasn’t even stable enough to even sustain X-rays. Even though she was suffering in excruciating pain, she STILL managed to give lots of kisses and wag her tail. It was as if she knew she was finally safe. Although, this sweetie had what would become months of recovery and rehabilitation ahead of her. Due to her list of ailments and wounds, she had sparked quite a bit of debate on how to go about surgery, or even which one to choose. First and foremost, they had her on bed rest, which into the second week, she finally started to show signs of wanting to eat on her own, sparking even more motivation to help her along the way. After crate training and figuring out how her weight was distributed on her body with her multiple breaks, doctors, orthopedic specialist, and surgeons all agreed that FHO surgery was the best option to help save Athena. With the help of her amazing medical foster, they were able to get this tiny cutie healthy enough to receive her surgery. With fingers and paws crossed, the team awaited her results and of course, this little fighter came back with flying colors!! 

After a few days at the hospital, she was cleared to return to her medical foster, where she was able to start recovery…..again! This time, she was getting even more strength and gaining some mobility back. Learning how to play and be the puppy that she never got to be in the first place. Her medical foster worked their tail off trying to ensure she would be ready to get her heartworm treatments. As time went on, her hair grew back in and revealed itself to be insanely beautiful and soft! Once she got the okay from her physical therapist, Athena got to start her heartworm treatments and get spayed. With another surgery down and even more recovery time, she was finally able to reach her second to the last goal on her list of achievements. Lola’s Lucky Day Rescue had her transported to Wisconsin, where she has a better chance of finding a family to love her and keep her safe. 

While Athena never got full mobility back to her broken leg, she gets around just fine and is no longer suffering from any prolonged pain. She is near done with her heartworm treatments and is practically unrecognizable, with her gorgeous coat, happy face, and hopeful attitude! We at CUDDLY know her adoption is going to be right around the corner! If you or anyone you know is interested in adopting this wonderful ball of joy, please inquire on the rescuer's website or Facebook page!

We at CUDDLY and rescuers from Lola’s Lucky Day Rescue could have never, in a million years,  have gotten this lovely lady back to good spirits without the amazing and generous support given by all the donors here. This is one of the most beautiful success stories, as the donors and rescuers worked for close to half a year on getting Athena to a clean bill of health. Not only is she thankful, but we are too! Nothing means more than a big sloppy kiss and wagging tail, but without the supplements, food, and monetary donations, we wouldn’t have either of those things. So THANK YOU so much, to each and every one of you, as without this CUDDLY community this miracle would have never happened!