Help Me Help Howie

Just as we were closing one Sunday late afternoon, our staff at Valley River Humane Society, in Marble, NC received an urgent request from our local sheriff’s department about a dog in desperate need of care.

They had received a call from neighbors in the nearby town of Andrews, concerned about hearing a painful whining coming from what sounded like a drainage culvert in or near their community.

With the help of the local fire department, the drainage pipe was cut open and stuck inside, was badly injured 75lb NC Blue Tick Coonhound.

It’s hard to tell how long the poor boy was stuck in that drain because when he was finally freed, we realized that not only was he not able to walk, (we worried he had broken limbs or dislocated hips) he was covered in maggots from the middle of his broad back all the way down to his tailbone.

When Deputy Sheriff Howard brought him to us at the shelter, we quickly washed all the maggots off, gave him as much triage as was possible, as his skin was literally eaten raw.

Next morning, we brought him to Andrews Veterinary Hopsital to determine the extent of his injuries. Countless number of lab tests later, the results were not good. His chemistry levels were so severely out of range that vet staff worried he could not be stabilized. We asked to monitor him for a day or two. After which, he was stable enough to be sedated and have his back surgically scalped off.

Four weeks later, and a $3000+ vet and shelter care bill, “Howie”, in honor of Deputy Sheriff Howard who freed him from the drainage culvert, is recovering nicely. He now has a very thin layer of skin and itty bitty bits of fur are beginning to sprout.

He’s such a trooper. He’s an amazing, sweet boy. And considering his size, we think he may have either gotten lost during a bad storm, or was left out in the rain to fend for himself. But at 75lbs, and with his sweet, docile demeanor, this is no outside dog. He belonged to a family. He was somebody’s boy.

Sadly, no one has come to inquire about him. Efforts on our part to find to whom he might have belonged have turned up nothing

Howie is still at the Shelter. And will likely stay with us until he is fully recovered and ready to find a new home.

Please help us defray his cost. He is so deserving of a good life and we are desperate to try to help him, but our resources are so tight. Your help will go a long way.

Thanks in advance for your contribution to helping Howie.

VALLEY RIVER HUMANE SOCIETY INC is a no-kill shelter. We provide shelter & medical care for homeless and abandoned animals in three rural western NC counties.