A call late one Saturday afternoon sent our Hope Animal Sanctuary’s Operations Manager, Sharon Stone, rushing to meet a fellow rescuer located a few hours away.

The rescuer described a tiny female yorkie in very bad shape. She was not able to get the little dog to a vet and had no idea what to do for her. Sharon asked a few questions and after being told that the tiny dog could not stand and could barely lift her head, instructed the caller to give her sugar water.

Sharon left immediately to retrieve her and upon arrival she confirmed that the poor dog was hardly able to lift her head was totally emaciated with a dangerously low body temperature and was so weak she could not stand, weighing only 1.6 pounds. Having dealt with issues such as these many times, Sharon knew that raising the dog’s body temperature urgently was of utmost importance. As she was a few hours away from home, she turned on the seat warmer in her vehicle, wrapped the very weak dog in a towel and laid her on the warm seat. She named this sick yorkie puppy Cookie.

Back at home, Cookie was placed on a heating pad, wrapped in blankets and given small bites of prescription canned dog food every two hours. She was also given liquid vitamins along with a lot of love and attention.

By Sunday afternoon, Cookie began to walk around. Monday morning at our veterinarian’s office, Cookie weighed in at 3.2 pounds, but this 2-year-old dog was riddled with internal parasites. Our veterinarian, Dr. Hill, advised Sharon to continue feeding her small amounts every 2-3 hours and to begin giving her worming medications. He confirmed that Cookie had been without food for quite some time. 

One week later, Cookie had gained 1.4 pounds and had no more internal parasites. She was on her way back to good health.

Today, she weighs 5.8 pounds and is a happy, healthy dog. Soon, Cookie will be ready for a home of her very own.

We were able to save Cookie because of your generous donations. Please, donate to help us save more precious lives.