At the Turtle Mountain Animal Rescue in Rolla, North Dakota, a six-week-old puppy was rescued by the organization’s founder Keith Benning. The puppy had more than 200 ticks, a case of mange and was severely emaciated.
This is how Trooper’s miraculous recovery began on June 16, 2023:
This is the little guy from yesterday with all the ticks. Keith stopped counting at 200… how painful that must have been. But, he stood strong, so we named him trooper.
Trooper was immediately placed in quarantine so as not to contaminate any other animals. He suffered from some discharge and had been anemic from the tick overload. He was administered supplements and immune boosters to help fight off his infections. And even sadder, Keith discovered Trooper also suffered from bite wounds.
From the start, and likely why his named Trooper is so fitting, he ate, drank and went potty. It was up to this little guy to fight for his life, and that he did so well.
Unfortunately an outbreak at the rescue of distemper presented more challenges to the other rescued dogs as well as tiny Trooper.
Trooper has a sweet spot and you can see that he’s in heaven every time Keith hits it … yup, he’s just loving those belly rubs.
We’re testing again tonight and hoping Trooper is negative. Also hoping Mulligan, Fozy and Kermit show signs of strength to fight the distemper.
Keith slipped in a confession … he’s making late night visits to spend time with his little buddy. We think we’ve got some bonding going on and Trooper isn’t the only one in love.
Trooper and Keith bonded, and no matter how many toys Keith offered the puppy, all he wanted to do was to lie in Keith’s arms on the recliner. And whenever Keith would stop petting him, the puppy would just stare up into his eyes and seemed to beg for more love.
Check out the video here: (Note it’s a 10 minute video longer than what we usually post, but it surely will make you smile)
https://www.facebook.com/TurtleMountainAnimalRescueNetwork/videos/229566666546363
And on June 29, Trooper was given a clean bill of health. He has moved on to his foster home, and he is getting healthier and stronger by the day. No longer are his ribs showing, his fur is coming in, and he’s not as tired as when he first came to his foster home.
As for the special relationship with Keith and Trooper, Keith still gets photos of his little buddy, but soon it will be time for this little survivor to have a home of his very own.
If you would like to help:
Rescue Wish List:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/ls/ref=aw_wl_sr_res_1_1…
Foster Wish List:
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/LAB3GR14U3KB…
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