Trooper's Final Journey 2008

To all my animal friends,

Trooper crossed the rainbow bridge late summer 2008. Losing him has been such a difficult time for Kathy (his foster mom) & me. We know that saving him wasn't a mistake for he has brought so much unity with several rescue groups & animal lovers that never even knew each other before Trooper came into our life. Some new friends close by, a little further away & even out of state friends, our love for Trooper brought us together.

I apologize for not having the update sooner but it was difficult to talk about for the longest time, alot of tears & sadness. The joy that we do have is knowing that he was extremely loved for the months that he was in our care & he had the best life. His foster mom, Kathy, loved him very much & had planned on keeping him because he was so attached to her. She was devistated when she called me about his condition.

His final story: Trooper had the run of the house & even was left out with the other 2 dogs with out being crated when Kathy wasn't home. He was doing so good with the other dogs, he did have a crate that he liked going into but the door was left open so he could go in & out when he wanted.

A few days before Trooper took a turn for the worse, I received a call from Kathy saying that Trooper was acting really tired & was not eating well, he had a vet appt scheduled.

One evening, Kathy was gone for a little while & when she returned he was in the middle of the floor all spread out with vomit all over and he couldn't get up. Once he heard Kathy's voice & touch while she was cleaning him up, he was able to go lay in the crate. We talked on the phone off & on through all this ordeal. All of a sudden he started to vomit & lose his bowel as he was bumping into the back end of the crate. Kathy struggled to get him out & finally was able to get him in the floor on a clean blanket & clean him up again. She layed with him in the floor, held him, cried & prayed. His eyes never opened again from this point.

He once again all of a sudden jumped up again & started running into the cabinets while his eyes was still closed, he was dry heaving at this point, Kathy & I knew he had to get to an emergency room vet. It was about midnight, Kathy carry him to the car to take him to the ER vet.

By the time he arrived at the ER vet, he was in a coma. After the exam & tests, we were told that Trooper would probably remain in a coma, he was given pain meds to keep him comfortable, we did not want him to have any pain. The vet said that Trooper was never going to recoup from this & probably wasn't going to make it through the night.

The vet comfirmed that Trooper had suffered so much head trauma from the past (possible beatings in the head & severe bitings) that he had developed brain injuries & had been suffering from seizures. This is why he was running into stuff, he was loosing his vision & we had never known about it. This could be the reason that his precious eyes never looked healthy, the head wasn't well, even though the scars was healed. The vet said that Trooper had been through so much... It was about 2:30 am at this time & we made the decision to allow the vet to take his final breathe... Kathy said she wasn't going to leave him there by himself & risk the thought of him leaving this world alone without her by his side. Even though he couldn't open his eyes & was in coma, we know that he felt her by him.

Our hearts will never be the same without Trooper... Again I cry as I write this story, this all has been difficult but nothing compared to what Trooper went through before he came into our lives. My heart breaks at the thought of knowing what those sick people done to him to 'cause all of these horrible injuries.

Trooper loved Kathy & her family. God only knows how much Kathy loved him as well as I did. In his final months of life, Trooper not only knew love, he played ball, he would go swimming in the family pool (even when he was tired & still wanted to go Kathy put a life jacket on him), he always went for walks, he was a part of a loving family & he felt the gentle touch of kind hands.

Knowing he had this good life, even if it was a short time, brings a smile to my face & reminds me that saving him was one of the best things that we have done & I don't regret it for one moment. Even now when Kathy & I talk about him we choke up, we still cry & it's still hard to talk about him.

Trooper was special & he was brought into our life for a reason & he will never be forgotten, EVER!!! This has drove me to work harder to keep these animals safe, for Trooper before the next one becomes a victim. PLEASE remember that your continued support to our rescue will help to save others in Trooper's memory.....even if it's prayers!!

A special "THANK YOU" to all you who gave support in helping Trooper. Many sent in financial support to help pay for Trooper's high vet bills & we had alot of prayers & kind encouraging words.

Another very special "THANK YOU" to the ones that gave him loving care: Kathy (his foster mom), words could never thank you for the dedication & love that you gave to Trooper and Jill & Stephanie (helping with his care & giving love while critical at the vets).

As a team let's continue to make a difference.

Fondly,

Liz Bagley

President/Founder

Making A Difference Rescue

www.makingadifferencerescue.com

Trooper Has A Sparkle In His Eyes: 3rd Update

Trooper

Trooper (right) with his new friend Daisy (left)

Our Super Trooper has shown so much improvement over the last few days.

His breathing (the lungs) is still a concern but his foster mom, Kathy has placed a humidifier by his crate at night time & it seems to have helped some.

Trooper wears a t-shirt a lot so you tend to think he is better than he really is, the wounds are still horrible looking. At the end of the week, the stainless steel stitches will come out he has almost a 100 of them, OUCH!! You can tell by the picture of his face that he is starting to feel better. Kathy says that the eyes are looking better & he wags his tail more! Trooper seems to really enjoy the company of her husband & son. Also, Kathy says that he is still often afraid but is coming around really well & that he tires out really easy.

Trooper enjoyed some sunshine this weekend & he's enjoying all the TLC that he's receiving at Kathy's house. She's a wonderful foster mommy to Trooper!

Trooper Goes To His Foster Home April 14th

Trooper (left) is with his foster mom, Kathy, Tigger and Daisy

Kathy was excited to get Trooper into her home & to get him comfortable. He is eating well & taking his meds.

Tuesday, as we talked on the phone I could actually hear Trooper breathing hard while his head was on her lap. Also, his nose has been running a little & the color looked greenish & his legs started to swell.

He went back to the vet for a follow up. Dr Agustin reassured us that Trooper still has a lot of healing to go & that includes his lungs too. The lungs have an infection & some scarring because of injuries. He received some injections, (for infection & the swelling) this healing will take time, it's serious & he's not young.

Kathy & Trooper were walking up to the gated area at the vets & the other dogs were outside. They barked at him & he turned around as fast as he could to get away.... he was afraid.

The vet was considering keeping him again & they went to put him in the cage, he peed on the blanket right away. Kathy couldn't take it, her heart was broke... she knows that he will heal so much faster by being with a family rather than at a vets office & only being around people twice a day, we think he would be depressed & that's not good for the healing process. He received some TLC from everyone at the vets & Trooper was happy to see them but he didn't want to stay.

They joked about the stylish t-shirt that Kathy had on him. It keeps him from scratching the wounds & protects them, plus it covers up the worst areas (the stab wounds in the chest & the side) & he almost looks normal, but under that shirt he's a mess! The only part that doesn't have scars, wounds or stitches are on the rear end area. Dr Agustin said that the wounds with the stainless steel wire are healing well. He has some other scabs & a few have started to fall off.

Trooper was able to enjoy the sunshine today. He is resting well & he is adjusting. He has shown signs of being nervous & acts afraid of sudden movement....of course after all the stuff that he has been through, he has every right. Kathy said that the eyes still look sad & it's heartbreaking but I know when he gets feeling better...those eyes will shine! By looking at him....at one time he was a beautiful dog, I love those colors (markings) on his face.

Things are going well with Kathy's other two dogs, they are such good dogs & having company doesn't bother them at all. As you can tell by the picture, Kathy is receiving a lot of snuggling time. The picture was taken on Trooper's first day at her home. You can tell Kathy is getting him calm enough to be able to sit with her and Daisy and Tigger.

Thank you so much for all the prayers & support that everyone has shown Trooper. One day at a time we will heal this dog. Please continue to keep him in your prayers.

Trooper Needs Our Help:Graphic Photos

Here is Trooper & his story. I received a call Monday, March 31st asking if I could help this dog, we have decided to name him "Trooper". Romeoville Animal Control contacted me because they remembered how we were able to save "Angel". (Angel is doing wonderful & is being spoiled in her loving home) If I didn't say I would help Trooper would have been put down.

The ladies that were there at the vets office when Trooper was first brought in said that he is a sweetie & even though he couldn't stand & was in severe pain, he licked them when they knelt down.

Trooper was transferred to AAmerican Vet Hospital after I agreed to save him. These pictures were taken after he was bathed, he was covered completely with dried up mud, and even in his ears (you couldn't even tell his color). He must have been put into a fighting pit (it rained the night before) & plus he was being literally dragged on his side by his leash down the road into the parking lot because he couldn't walk. The vet, Dr Agustin has to get him stable before we can find out more about his care that will be needed. He was having a hard time breathing & or resting but after the tubes were put in & meds given, he seems like the breathing is more stable.

Trooper, this name surely fits him, was dumped at a vets office in Romeoville yesterday by a guy that "claimed" he found the dog & said that the dog was hit by a car. This so called person was seen and caught on the vets camera literally dragging this dog on his side through the parking lot. He could not walk as his infection is so bad he just laid limp on his side while being dragged. Romeoville police were called and have a copy of the surveilance footage. The vet techs told him to hold on while they checked to see if there was a run available, when they returned outside he had tied Trooper to the pole and took off.

He CLEARLY was used in fighting, bait or both. Along with fighting, he was stabbed in the stomach, chest & side, probably because he didn't want to fight or he didn't perform well enough for the low lives that did this to him. He is a sweet boy and is just miserable. He has licked the hands that are treating him and looks so sad but we think he knows that rotten life he had is now over. He has a severe infection in his abdomen and the doctor is letting that drain thru tubes. He has numerous holes in him from battle wounds. They think he is about 6 - 7 yrs old as his teeth show lots of tartar. I don’t think this boy could of ever won a fight or even wanted to fight as he is just a sweetheart. How anyone could do this is beyond me. Thank god for people like us to help these babies.

The vets office that is treating Trooper saved another bait dog last summer. Angel is a choc lab/pit mix & her story was on WJOL Radio Station, Fox News, & in the Herald Newspaper. She has made a long & hard recovery but now lives a great life with the man that found her. She was infested with maggots and gashes all over her body. Our rescue wants to give the same outcome to Trooper.

Making a Difference Rescue will be setting up a fund for Trooper to cover his medical expenses. This boy deserves a better life than what he is used to. If you can help, please do. Along with financial support, please pray for Trooper. He is in critical condition & we are not sure of the care that he will need, it will be a tough recovery. Any donations are greatly appreciated.

Your donation can be made to "Making A Difference Rescue", which is tax deductible (a receipt can be mailed if requested). Please mail donations to:
Making A Difference Rescue
C/O Liz Bagley
PO Box 414
Channahon, IL 60410