Stray Dog Hiding Secret Trauma Finally Finds Help and Hope
Stray Rescue of St. Louis thought Caliope, a homeless dog they went out to rescue, just had a broken leg. But she was hiding a secret, one that threatened her life.
Donna Lochmann went out alone to rescue the dog, who was so scared she wouldn’t let Donna leash her. Donna could see that Caliope’s leg was broken and swollen, so there was no way she was going to give up. It took hours, but Donna was finally able to lasso the dog and load her into the humane trap she had set up earlier so she could go get her Jeep, which was parked far away.
When Caliope arrived at the shelter, she welcomed their help. “She welcomed our help, anything to help ease the searing pain. We got her on pain meds right away, along with a good nutritious meal, and big comfy blankets. Caliope snored so loud, we knew she had the best night’s sleep that she’s had in a long, long time. Street dogs sleep with one eye open, always listening for danger. Their hungry bellies rumble, and on top of all of that, she had that badly broken leg. She knew how vulnerable she was.”
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They took x-rays of her leg and sent them to specialist partners. Veterinarian Dr. Birks said he would fix her fractured femur, which meant she could keep her leg. It would be a complex and expensive surgery, but Stray Rescue always does what is best for every dog in their care.
They took her to the surgery center to get prepped, but their hearts fell when they got unexpected news. “They discovered she had a diaphragmatic hernia…A diaphragmatic hernia is when there is a tear in your body wall, and organs are where they shouldn’t be. Her stomach and intestines were squished up by her lungs, but she didn’t show any signs of labored breathing, so she hid it well. To think this little baby girl was living on the streets with all these issues—all by herself!”
Caliope’s leg surgery would have to wait as she underwent emergency surgery. The next morning, according to the vets, she was “a different dog—so loving and affectionate”—intent on wagging her tail and giving kisses. She had been hiding how uncomfortable and in pain she was for so long that Donna couldn’t help but observe that “the leg was the least of what was bothering her.”
Caliope has now had her leg surgery and pulled through both procedures with “flying colors.” She has returned to Stray Rescue’s shelter, where Donna was there to greet her.
The next steps for Caliope won’t be easy for the 2.5-year-old dog, but it’s far from what she would have had to endure on the streets. Stray Rescue wrote, “She will need 8 weeks of STRICT cage rest—only outside for quick potty breaks. So this part will be no fun for her, but she’ll be running on all 4 legs in 8 short weeks.”
The rescuers added, “Thank you, thank you to everyone who chipped in to help save her sweet life.” To help Caliope during her recovery, visit StrayRescue.org/caliope.