The eight-year-old Taka has been through something horrific. The house of Taka’s owners suddenly caught fire and the flames were devastating. Even though the family members tried to get Taka outside and to safety, he was stuck inside a screen-in porch, which made escaping difficult.
However, Taka managed to get away from the sea of flames after all.
Unfortunately, the flames and smoke already got to the poor Shiba Inu and caused him severe harm, but he was no longer in life-threatening danger.
He ran away from the porch and the home. On the streets, one of the family’s neighbors then found him and immediately notified the family and sought help for the hurt four-footer. Taka was taken to the Care More Animal Hospital in Georgia, where he instantly bonded with some of the staff members.
“He had burns around his eyes, his mouth, his ears, his belly,” vet Emily Martin said to The Dodo. “We really didn’t know how severe his injuries were initially, just because we had to worry about inhalation burns.”
Unfortunately, some of his injuries were more severe than initially thought.
His eyes, in particular, were badly damaged as a result of the fire. Unfortunately, the four-footer went blind and never regained his eyesight.
When it was also clear that the pup had some difficulties breathing, the decision was made to transfer him to the medical wing of the University of Georgia, where they could hook him up to a special oxygen machine.
The oxygen machine definitely did Taka good, and he was able to return to the Care More Animal Hospital for the rest of his recovery.
Veterinarian Emily was thrilled to have Taka back, as the two instantly bonded together and already share a special connection.
“I try to treat my patients all the same, but his case pulled at my heartstrings a bit more,” she recalls. “When he came in, he was screaming from pain… but he calmed down the moment you sat with him and started singing to him.”
Taka’s family and Emily then came to an agreement.
The owners of the pup realized that Taka’s health was the most important thing of all. The two parties then agreed to let Emily take care of Taka from now on, because she could monitor his health more closely. In other words, Emily wasn’t only Taka’s primary vet from now on, but she also became his loving owner and foster mommy.
“He doesn’t have a mean bone in his body,” she said about Taka’s fun personality. “A lot of times when animals are in pain, they’ll start biting just because they hurt, but he hasn’t once tried to bite. If anything, he’s comforted by people.”
Emily felt a little bit heartbroken at the idea that Taka would have to sleep alone, so she always took him home with her after work. The first time, the two definitely seemed to enjoy their time together and they didn’t really catch a lot of sleep.
“I was up with him all night at my house, so the following day, we were both exhausted,” the kind vet recalls.
The following day, one of Emily’s colleagues was able to take this heartwarming picture.
Emily decided to rest along with the always joyful Taka in his kennel. The tender loving care displayed in the photo speaks more than a thousand words.
“He likes his belly rubs, and he loves food, so he’s a little piggy. He also likes to cuddle.”
Even though the burn wounds still have their effect on the Shiba Inu and doctors aren’t sure how much it will affect him in the long-term, Taka’s recovery has been going well and his strength is slowly coming back. Even though he became blind, he has now learned to go to the bathroom and eat and drink all by himself.
“He’s definitely in a lot of pain, so he’s definitely not out of the woods, but we’re hopeful that he’s going to be OK,” Emily told. “He went through something so traumatic and so painful, and yet he doesn’t give up. He’s so resilient.”
After he’s entirely recovered, Emily is committed to finding a loving and warm home for Taka.
Since these two have bonded so well, Emily is also considering to adopt the pup herself. However, with a small toddler that requires 24/7 care and no less than five other pups, she also realizes that her place might not be the best option for Taka who needs constant care as well.
Either way – Taka’s future is looking bright again as this pup has defied all odds during his recovery. What a brave dog!
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