JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Humane Society is asking the community for donations to help with the medical treatment of a dog who was brought into the shelter severely malnourished.
In a Facebook post, JHS put out a call for help for Blue, a pup that they estimate is 2 years old and who was brought into the shelter two days ago weighing only 17 pounds.
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JHS said Blue was found by a kind and caring citizen who took her to the shelter.
“Our veterinary team is doing all that they can to save her life. While it is too soon to know if she is going to make it, she deserves a fighting chance,” the shelter wrote.
The shelter has been providing updates on Blue’s health, with the latest update posted Sunday morning — sharing some promising news.
One of the lead veterinary technicians said it was good to see Blue progress.
“It was one of the most amazing things to see because we were just so worried she was even going to make it through the night so it was very exciting,” Ellisia O’neill said.
The CEO of JHS said Blue’s situation is something that should never happen.
“I’d say she’s probably in the top two or three of cases of being emaciated, malnutrition that I’ve seen in my time,” Denise Deisler said.
She added that they’re unable to tell how old Blue is because her body is so malnourished.
JHS also used Blue’s story as an opportunity to let the community know that if they are struggling to provide food and/or care for their pets, their organization can provide them with options, and offer them “non-judgmental support for both ends of the leash.”
“The most important message Blue and I would want you to hear is that there’s no reason for a dog or a cat to go hungry in Jacksonville,” Deisler said. “We operate a food bank in partnership with Lutheran Services. Our city’s animal control offers a pet food bank and First Coast No More Homeless Pets also offers a pet food bank.”