This is Grace.
Shanghai, China
26 pounds hung on a 70 pound frame.
She weighed a meager 26 pounds when a neighbor found her. No one knows whether the owners neglected to feed her or they just didn’t have enough. In the end it didn’t matter, Grace was starving to death.
Starvation Syndrome had set in.
She came very close to leaving this world. She had trouble walking due to the metabolic changes in her brain from prolonged poor nutrition and lack of food. The body went into survival mode.
Most dogs can only go three to five days without food. After that, the process of ketosis starts and the breakdown of fat and muscle begin just to keep the basic functions of the body going. Anemia causes a lack of oxygen to the brain.
No more room.
Luckily, a neighbor found her and contacted a local shelter owner to ask what to do. They took her to the vet, but she needed somewhere to recuperate for a long period of time with special care for feeding and rehabilitation. The shelter was full.
The shelter owner contacted a foster friend. Although she had seven animals at home, the foster said she would take care of Grace long enough to bring her back from the brink of death and out of the danger zone.
We named her Grace.
WOA Foundation stepped into Grace’s life. We helped pay for vetcare, high quality food and proteins and gave advice on how to avoid “refeeding syndrome” to ease Grace back into health, safely.
Originally, the foster mom kept Grace at her shop in the city due to the many animals she already had at home. She brought high quality protein packed food for Grace to eat. Grace followed her everywhere the whole day.
A policeman saw Grace outside the shop. The foster mom was concerned they might confiscate Grace as a stray, so she took her home.
Love is the best medicine.
Grace has thrived in her foster home. She loves the attention she gets from her human and furry friends. Slowly, she has climbed out of starvation and into wellness. She is getting lots of exercise playing with her friends and has started to regrow some muscle mass. So far she has gained 30 pounds.
We urgently need your help.
We are currently looking for a more permanent foster home for Grace. Her current foster mom has too many animals and only agreed to a short term solution for Grace’s care. In China, you have to pay people to foster animals, provide the food and pay all medical expenses.
We want to bring her to the US for adoption, but cargo flights don’t allow her size. We must wait for international flights to resume to transport her.
If you can help by providing a donation or by recommending volunteers for flight transport or fostering in the Shanghai area, please contact us or give at: woafoundation.org/donate-now