Pibbles & More Animal Rescue Inc.: Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

Benny's vet care

Benny was very sick when he arrived to his foster home; read his full story below.

How many pets did this grant help?

1

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

How you doin’? My name is Benny, but my foster mom and dad called me Benny the Brindle and they saw my natural tendencies towards leadership and dubbed me the mayor of my neighborhood. When I arrived at my foster house, I was not feeling 100%. My lungs were not filling with air like they should and this left me out of breath and gasping at times. Not very good for a mayor to not be breathing right when he visits his constituents. I also was having some hip issues; I couldn’t make it up the steps and I would fall, needing help to get up. It was not the finest of scenarios for a gentleman like myself to end up in, but being Benny the Brindle, I had to protect my rep.

The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals let me hitch a ride with them down to the suburbs of Philadelphia. Now, being a NY boy at heart, I wasn’t so sure about this Philadelphia, but hey, I figured I would give it a try. I got out of the van and as you can see, I was quite pleased with my surroundings.

I settled into my humble abode quickly, but my health was not being cooperative. I was coughing, and even getting across the yard into my new “apartment” in my foster house became quite difficult for me. After watching me overnight, my foster parents rushed me to the vet the next morning because my cough was non-stop and my breathing was really labored. So we went to see my now very good friend Dr. Patten at Liberty Vet Clinic.

This was not one of my more memorable fun times. They had to check my lungs and get some kind of a culture to try and figure out what was going on. I was under the weather and I had my mayoral duties to attend too. We went back with some medications to my foster home and I still was not getting back to my old self. In fact, things were getting worse. I couldn’t even get up the next morning, and breathing was becoming nearly impossible. Foster Mom rushed me to the veterinary hospital, where I was quickly put into the ICU and on oxygen.

I certainly gave my foster parents a scare a few times when things were not going so well. I had a terrible case of pneumonia on top of kennel cough and a bacterial infection. I had to spend a week in the ICU with the good doctors watching over me all the time. They knew they had to get Benny the Brindle back to his job of charming all those he meets. After all, that is what a mayor does, is it not?

After I got home, I was told to rest. How can Benny the Brindle rest when he is finally starting to feel like his old self, I ask you?! I gave my foster family a run for their money, literally. After a day or so of recuperation, I thought it would be a good idea to, well, ya know, take off across the yard and run. I thought my foster mom was going into cardiac arrest when she saw me do it. In fact, I think she did. But, I knew I was on the mend and I was ready to get back to my job of making people happy.

After about three more weeks, I was fit as a fiddle! I got to go see Dr. Patten and get more X-rays to check my lungs and it was GREAT NEWS!! Dr. Patten said that I had the lungs of a 2-year-old and I was ready to go to live with my forever family!

My family drove all the way down from my hometown of NYC and took me back to be part of their family. I have settled in nicely. I can do steps, and take long walks and visit the lakes and parks and greet all those from my neighborhood sharing my story. Benny the Brindle just needed a shot, ‘cuz he may be 15, but he’s got some NY fight in him. I mean, look at how handsome I am … 15 never looked so good, baby!!!

And now, because a few people from Pibbles & More Animal Rescue (PMAR) believed in me and my fight and my will to live, I lived happily ever after …