Poor sweet senior Jack and his senior companion, Tiana, were relinquished to a Tampa, Fla., shelter at the beginning of February 2019. While both seemed of sound temperament, signs of severe neglect were obvious to anyone who laid eyes on Jack.

Jack and Tiana's freedom ride

If this twelve-year-old boy could only talk, we wonder what he might say about his life before being turned over to ESRA. Our commitment to his care came just in the nick of time. While his companion (now known as Ginger) was in fairly good condition, Jack’s condition was horrific and has resulted in his acceptance into ESRA’s Special Needs program. Even the shelter staff was relieved to see these two come into ESRA’s care, and they literally cheered as this pair was sent on their way with one of our rescue volunteers.

First of many vet visits

When ESRA volunteers first met Jack, he was a very sad sight to behold. This poor boy was covered in scabs, missing a vast amount of hair, and suffered from severe dermatitis, alopecia, and patchy red areas of inflammation known as erythema. He was severely undernourished, had mobility issues, infected ears, and possible heart disease.

After Jack settled in temporarily with one of ESRA’s foster families, additional issues became evident. It was obvious that Jack was in pain, and, within a week, he went into a downward spiral, which his foster mom calls a “crash,” while out for a brief walk. Off to the emergency clinic they went. During this visit, it was discovered that Jack had a severely decreased range of motion of both the left and right hip and a possible torn cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) of his left stifle. He was sent home with instructions for a lot of rest and medication to aid with pain and inflammation. Unfortunately, just three days later, Jack crashed again, and was right back in the ER for further testing and diagnosis. What they found next just added to this poor boy’s problems.

During his second ER visit, radiographs were ordered and suspected infectious Bronchopneumonia was confirmed. Jack's temperature had spiked to 105.6 degrees. His teeth were clenched and he was shaking uncontrollably. He was also anemic, running a fever, presented with ataxia (impaired coordination) and hypokalemia (a low level of potassium in the blood serum which can further exacerbate the potential risk for a cardiac event).

While reviewing the X-rays, the attending veterinary specialist discovered that Jack had even more problems. Foreign bodies were found in his gastrointestinal tract. These objects appeared to be two bottle caps and a metal pull tab from a can of some sort. Though these ingested foreign bodies were a concern, Jack was in no shape to undergo surgery. Due to his medical instability, a period of observation was deemed necessary, coupled with a few additional prescriptions to help with pain, infection, and healing. After a two-day stay at the hospital, Jack was released back into the care of his foster family with specific instructions for a follow-up visit to address these additional serious issues.

X-ray reveals foreign objects: two bottle caps and a metal pull tab

Fast forward three weeks. Coupled with proper nutrition and a huge dose of TLC, the medications given to Jack have improved his health greatly. His hair is beginning to grow back. He has put on some much-needed weight and has become rather spunky and visibly happy. For what might be the first time in his life, he is learning to play with toys and is enjoying them immensely! He has a spring in his step now and is often seen wagging his tail. His pneumonia is almost completely resolved, and to ensure its continued improvement, an additional course of medication has been prescribed.

However, while all of this improvement is wonderful, the foreign bodies in Jack’s stomach still pose a very serious potential threat to his health. ESRA is currently working with his care-givers and veterinary providers to determine the best course of action for the removal of these objects as soon as Jack is physically able to undergo such a procedure.

This dear boy deserves a chance to enjoy the new-found happiness he is experiencing today -- not just for a short time, but, hopefully for weeks, months, and even years to come. Though he’s been through so much, his foster mom reports that he’s a “glass half full kind of boy” who exudes a joyful personality and loves receiving cuddles.

With your support and ESRA’s continued commitment to his care, it is our mission to help Jack realize a much happier, healthier, and pain-free life. We look forward to sharing updates with you on Jack as he progresses toward the new adventures that await him, and we are extremely grateful for your contributions to his care and your prayers and well-wishes for his continued recovery.