Darby

Update:  7/24/10: She went in for her bandage change and laser therapy today. The vet and staff decided that there is no need to continue bandaging the wound because there is hardly anything open. I was instructed to cover it daily with triple antibiotic ointment, a teflon pad and her "halter" t-shirt. I had, as usual, a peanut butter filled Kong straight from the freezer ready for her to enjoy while the new bandage was being applied. We went home with a lot of PB left!! Her laser treatments have also been reduced to once per week. Looking back at the pictures from when she first came into our care, it's unbelievable that it is the same wound, just unbelievable. I imagine the next update will be to inform you that the treatment has been completed

Darby was featured in the Toledo Blade on July 18:
Cruelty cases spur call for tougher laws

UPDATE: 7/13/10: Darby had her first recheck today with the vet since her surgery (she has been seeing the techs for her bandage changes). Have to say, he was impressed with the progress!! It looks like she will NOT have to have the skin graft surgery!! Though, we are not sure if the hair will grow back or if pigment will return. If not, her forever family will have to protect her from sunburn. But hey, that's not such a big deal, she prefers to be in the house or under shaded areas anyway.

Update:  7/1/10: Her wound was covered with a honey wrap and "hooks" were made with surgical string to tie gauze over the wound. This procedure has a triple effect. The honey removes dead skin. Tying the gauze allows us to use less material to cover the wound due to its location and it also stretches the skin to prepare it for closure later. It will stay covered for 10 days. During that time, she will begin laser therapy that also promotes the healing of the healthy tissue. Her laser schedule will require 3 treatments the first week, two the second, and one the remaining weeks. At that time, she will be evaluated and the decision will be made if the tissue is healthy enough for the wound to be closed. The goal is for healthy tissue to meet healthy tissue for a successful closure.

Planned Pethood, Darby and her caretakers thank Dr. Dillon and his staff at St. Francis Veterinary Hospital for the excellent initial treatment of her wound and Dr. Bob Esplin and his staff at Sylvania Animal Hospital for the care Darby has gotten during her first honey wrap procedure. We also thank her sponsors for their well wishes and donations.

Stay tuned, as we continue to document her healing progress.

Update:  6/30/10: The healing over the past few weeks is amazing!!! You really have to revisit her first pictures to remember the extensiveness. The "hole," which we believe was the pour site of the chemical, has closed in so that you can no longer see into her body. Take a look at the "contraption" that was custom made by a few of her supporters. The tubing device allows her to stay at her original foster home during the day while her people are at work because it prevents her from scratching her wound. And her personality is starting to show more everyday. She continues to be loving and good natured. She readily shows off her Rottie smile and offers a nub-wiggle to her many visitors. She actually did a "potty dance" for her foster mom this morning. She's just the best dog and like so many of the abused and neglected dogs we see, she holds no grudges over what's been done to her!

We don't know much about Darby's life before she came to us. We know she's an older Rottweiler, probably around 6 or 7. She's had puppies, probably multiple litters. She's a sweet-natured dog who will lean right into your lap if you scratch behind her ears.

We also know that not too long ago, someone poured some kind of corrosive chemical down her back and then shoved her out on the streets. Luckily for her, someone found her and contacted Planned Pethood. She was rushed to St Francis vet, where they cleaned off the burns and began her on a pain and medication regiment to heal her injuries.

Warning! Graphic photos:
We've put the pictures of Darby's burns on the bottom of this page so no one has to see them accidentally. As bad as they look in photos, they actually look worse in person when you see up close the damage that was done to this wonderful dog in one cruel act by some very disturbed person.

Darby's burns are horrendous, among the worst abuse we've ever seen. Her recovery will take around 6 months. During that time her burns have to be treated 2 times a day with 3 kinds of medication. That requires 2 people, one to distract her and one to apply the meds. Many people have already helped her foster mom care for her and many others have signed on to help when needed. As you can imagine, the healing burns are very uncomfortable for Darby and so she needs to be supervised most of the time, to keep her from scratching them open again. For that reason her care is being divided between 2 foster homes. One will care for her during the day while her regular foster mom is at work, and then she will go back home in the evenings. Several people have created different versions of a shirt with barriers to keep her from being able to get to her back, while leaving the wounds open to air to promote healing. People working together to care for one abused dog is what Planned Pethood is all about.


We don't know what kind of person would do this to a helpless dog and no one will ever understand why. We are glad though that Darby is safe in our care now and will never be hurt again. Any help with the cost of her continued treatment will be greatly appreciated and we will list your name as a sponsor on this page too. Thank you for your continued support.

Please help by sponsoring Darby!

sponsor Darby

level 1 $50.00 level 2 $25.00 level 3 $15.00

Darby's care has been kindly sponsored by:

Mona Guinaugh

Gail, George & Harley

Nancy, Cindy, Eirinn & Skye

Love, Zeke Sams

Margaret E Mattoon

Mike Severino & Ruby

Jason & Michelle Bialo

Dave & Roxanne Miller
In memory of Keisha

David & Michelle Pugh
In Memory of Joy Main

Mike Hart, Nikki Morey & Helena

Gayle Krieger

In honor of "The Sisters" for fostering Perry --Mike

Jenifer Whittler

Thom Wiles and Jim Smith and Zeke(Donovan)the wonder dog

Tim & Theresa Grimes (and Violet, too)

Harmony has been kindly sponsored by:

From your Foster Mom

For my Gasoline Fairy

From Lacie, another abandoned mama dog

Love, Zeke Sams

The Durham Family