Pony Boy
Ponyboy survived the unthinkable; roaming the streets of Los Angeles for what was likely a matter of months. Animal Control was repeatedly called out to capture him as he was seen scavenging for food and shelter and appeared to be starving. One would assume that a dog that has been forced to fend for himself for so long would be unapproachable, yet sadly, once Animal Control was able to locate him, this gentle giant welcomed the human companionship and has greeted everyone with sweet licks and a wagging tail ever since. You couldn’t ask for a dog that was more thankful for his survival, but that survival came at a steep price; and had taken a very serious toll on his tired, ailing body.
Take Me Home picked up Ponyboy from the Downey shelter as soon as we could and immediately hospitalized him in order to save his life. Suffering from starvation for most likely months, Ponyboy’s body had become severely emaciated, dehydrated, and anemic. His back was covered in benign growths and he suffered from an enlarged prostate in addition to severe respiratory and skin infections. Despite the fragile condition he was in and the horrible neglect he had suffered, Ponyboy showed a will to live that was an inspiration to us all. Take Me Home provided him with the surgeries necessary to remove all of the growths from his back and to address his enlarged prostate. He was moved into one of our trainer’s homes where in addition to healing from his multiple ailments, Ponyboy could learn how to live in a home with a family; after months of solitude on the streets.
Ponyboy made progress and healed from his multiple surgeries, but his skin infection, which had been allowed to fester for far too long, had encased his entire body like a coat of armor. In order to get the infection under control, Ponyboy was put on multiple rounds of costly antibiotics and required weekly trips to our vet’s office to check his blood work; in addition to tackling the infection from the outside as well, with special medicated baths. After months of treatment, his skin has much improved, but Ponyboy still requires medication and regular checkups in order to keep the infection at bay.
In addition to his ongoing skin infection, it became obvious once Ponyboy was in a home environment, that he did not have control of his urinary output. Once infection was ruled out, he underwent extensive testing and ultrasounds in order to rule out a cancerous cause for his incontinence. He was ultimately put on yet another medication to help him control his urinary output which we hoped would be the answer. But having endured his condition for far too long, Ponyboy’s bladder had become enlarged and thickened and a simple medication was not enough to get his urinary system on track. He required catheterization twice a day in order to assist him with his urinary output and ultimately shrink his bladder to a normal size.
Flash forward five months from the day Ponyboy was rescued.
He is now living in a loving foster home where he has gained some much needed weight, enjoys the comforts of a loving family, and spends his days basking in the sun and playing with his canine foster siblings who he adores. Thanks to Take Me Home supporters, Ponyboy is a much happier, healthier boy. But his medical journey has only just begun. He continues to require medications for his skin as well as his urinary tract, along with daily catheterizations and the administration of fluids in order to help his system respond to his various medications. He still requires weekly visits to our vet and a daily commitment from his foster family to administer and closely monitor his medical treatment.
Take Me Home is sincerely grateful for the ongoing contributions of our supporters as Ponyboy continues his journey on the road to becoming a “Medical Miracle”.
Thank you for allowing us the privilege to continue saving so many precious lives. Your donations are making medical miracles every day!
