UW Vets Put Neglected Dog On Long Road To Recovery | Community Spirit

The story of Braveheart has captured the University of Wisconsin-Madison Veterinary Care facility and is also gaining attention over the Internet.

Now known as Braveheart, the emaciated dog's road to the UW's School of Veterinary Medicine began when an animal control officer lifted him out of a trash bin in Kentucky in late March and took him to the pound.

"He was stuck there, because no one would adopt him or rescue him," said Marti Houge, who runs the Columbus, Wis.-based dog rescue group One Starfish Rehoming Connections with her husband, Jim. "There are hundreds, thousands of animal rescue organizations out there that focus on certain breeds and kinds of dogs, but rarely do you find one that will take in a dog with serious medical concerns."

Braveheart was visibly starved, he had three kinds of worm infections, sores and a particularly unpleasant case of mange. Worried that the mange was a particularly contagious type, rescue groups passed on taking in the dog. 

"It didn't scare me. We'd dealt with dogs like that before," Houge said in a UW news release. "I like a good fixer-upper."

Braveheart rebounded quickly after changing hands several times on his way from Kentucky to Wisconsin.

But Braveheart took a turn for the worse the next day. He was sluggish, and lost interest in food he couldn't keep down anyway. Houge brought him to Madison, where he has spent nearly a week in UW Veterinary Care's critical care unit.

"He's stable, but I don't think he's out of the woods right now," said Daniel Foy, a UW-Madison veterinarian. "He has a lot of concurrent diseases, many of which are probably the result of poor housing conditions and poor veterinary care before he came to us."

"In his case, it's just that he needs extended and intense care that will need to be maintained for weeks and months," Foy said.

That's tough for the Houges and for One Starfish, which was just organized as a charitable organization in 2009. They're committed to Braveheart's care, but also bearing the financial burden for a number of rescue dogs with complex medical issues.

Houge is hoping the attention will help both Braveheart and similar dogs that "slip through the cracks."

Those interested in making a contribution for Braveheart's care can contact Kristi Thorson at the UW School of Veterinary Medicine by calling 608-265-9692 or emailing kvthorson@vetmed.wisc.edu.

For more information about One Starfish Rehoming Connection, visit its website at http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/onestarfish.html.