Things didn’t look very bright at all for Susanna, a poor pup who was tragically abandoned at a dumpster and was in a paralyzed state. Thrown away like a piece of trash, Susanna’s life was hanging on a loose thread.
Susanna could barely move and fleas and ticks were completely covering her fur. The four-footer was both extremely exhausted and hungry. She was in no condition to move or even tilt her head.
Isabel knew that she needed help, so she called the Gulfstream Guardian Angels Rottweiler Rescue organization. They quickly agreed to take Susanna in and treat her.
“Animals are just routinely dumped out there to die,” Laurie Kardon of the rescue organization told The Dodo. “It’s a very dangerous place because there are a lot of trucks going through there at high speeds. It’s just heartbreaking. So many don’t make it.”
The woman who found the pup enlisted the help of a couple of other Good Samaritans and lifted Susanna into a truck because she was too weak to move.
They immediately headed to an animal hospital to administer first aid and run a bunch of tests. The diagnosis was that Susanna was completely paralyzed because of an unknown reason, and doctors feared that the pup would never be able to walk independently again.
She remained at the animal hospital for a couple of more days to undergo more tests and treatments. When she regained a bit of strength, she was transferred to the Clint Moore Animal Hospital to figure out exactly what was wrong with her.
The doctors then realized that her paralysis was likely caused by psychological factors. In other words, she couldn’t move simply because she’d been so horribly abused in the past.
All of Susanna’s bones were relatively fine and she also had zero issues with her spine. The doctors did see numerous signs of harsh abuse.
“She had some arthritis and physical deformities to her legs, which make us think she was just stuffed into a crate since puppyhood,” the animal rescuer told. “She was likely in there most of her life and used for breeding. And when breeders are done with dogs, they just dump them.”
Despite her being completely deprived of energy, the rescuers knew that this pup wanted to live and lead a happy life again.
“The first time I saw her, she lifted up her head and licked my face,” Laurie recalls. “I said, ‘There it is. This girl wants to live. We were going to do everything in our power to get her going again.’”
The entire organization and the vet staff worked together to ensure that Susanna’s recovery would go smoothly. One of the most important things was to provide her with nutritious food so that she could finally regain all of her strength.
After weeks of physical therapy, pain medication and some tender loving care from all of the rescuers, the pup finally started to smile again.
It was a long road to recovery, but everyone was clearly emotional when Susanna was able to walk again for the first time in months.
“We were all in tears,” Laurie remembers. “It was such a relief.”
Thanks to all of these wonderful people, Susanna was able to waggle her tail again and live an energetic, happy life. Despite all of the horrible things that some people did to her, she was also able to trust new people.
“She is just so happy,” she said. “It’s probably for the first time in her life she’s felt this way.”
Because her condition was so severe, the pup still needed a few rounds of laser treatments as well therapy in a special pool to regain full feeling in her legs, but the progress she made was astonishing.
Laurie and the rest of the animal rescuers will continue to take care of her until she’s fully ready to be adopted. Susanna deserves a loving and warm forever home. Isabel and the animal rescuers definitely made that possible.
“She’s really a testament to her breed,” Laurie concluded. “She is strong, determined and brave, but also so sweet and loving. She’s got the heart of a Rottweiler, that’s for sure.”
