In all of my years at CCHS, I thought I had seen it all. However, a rainy night in September changed that when I responded to a call about a little Doberman puppy needing our help. My heart sank the moment saw this little skeleton of a body barely able to walk up to me. I wrapped her in a blanket and drove directly to the vet clinic, hoping that her little body would hold out long enough for us to help her.
Upon arrival at the Copper Country Vet Clinic (CCVC), Dr. Rebecca Vollrath pulled out all the stops to try to save this little girl. Olive, as she was later named, weighed in at 27 pound. She was extremely underweight and stunted. A combination of emergency medical treatment, x- rays, ultrasounds and finally surgery, identified a rubber ball has been lodged in her intestines causing a blockage. If we had waited even another 24 hours to go pick her up, she likely would not be alive today.
Even with round-the-clock medical care at CCVC, Olive was not out of the woods by a long shot. For days, she couldn’t even stand up on her own. All of her energy was going into just breathing and healing her insides. She had a feeding tube in place because she couldn’t eat. Visiting her was heartbreaking because she would just lay there and look up with those big brown eyes while struggling to stay awake. As the days passed, her eyes got brighter, she got more energy and started eating a little. She still couldn’t stand on her own, but her entire hind end would wiggle when I'd visit because she was so happy whenever she got attention.
Through all of this, Olive never lost her happy puppy spirit. She won the hearts of her doctors and vet techs who were so diligent in her care. Everyone fell in love with her; however, Olive became very attached to her number one fan, Dr. Vollrath, and the doctor became very attached to her. When Olive was well enough to go into foster care, she went home with Dr. Vollrath for the rest of her healing.
It has been over two months since Olive entered our lives. She went from a 27 pound pup who was facing a very grim outcome to a 40+ pound active girl who loves to play, be silly and eat. Best of all, she found her forever home with the veterinarian who opened up her heart and home to give Olive all the love and attention she needed. Olive will now truly have “A Wonderful Life.” Thank you Dr. Vollrath and Copper Country Vet Clinic for caring and loving our shelter animals as much as we do!
Animals like Olive would not be saved if not for the incredible partnership we have with our amazing veterinarians, vet clinics and their staff. They provide medical attention, spay/neuter and emergency care that saves animals like Olive. CCHS is so fortunate to have such a caring community supporting all we do for the animals in need.