our pets: JUSTICE SAVED
For Justice’s Sake
By KRISTINA REILLY
H
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aving a pet is quite a responsibility. With many
people calling them their “furbabies,” the range of
what pet care and maintenance will cost is across the
board, but the standard cost is something that needs to
be considered prior to bringing a new pet home. While
they are not human children, they’re living and breath-
ing and require proper care.
The plus side is that they are incredible compan-
ions and have a desire to please their owners with little
demand for anything in return. They are content as long
as their bellies are full, they have plenty of water to
drink and a little affection.
The number of animals that are misplaced and
eventually end up in shelters is staggeringly high, leav-
ing some shelters with excessive disposal rates with not
much hope of change. Fortunately, the Weatherford-
Parker County Animal Shelter is a cut above the rest
(and yes, we are partial) and has reached, “NO KILL”
status with record numbers that it continues to deliver.
Not long before the holidays, a young female
Rottweiler showed up at the shelter looking sickly and
in need of care. When an animal arrives at the shelter,
there is a three-day waiting period which allows time
for an owner to show up to claim the pet.
“After no owner [came], she became property of
the city, so we started treatment,” Eric Shumar, WPCAS
animal services operations manager explained. “We
initially thought she was malnourished and just in poor
condition from prior neglect. And yes … her main
symptoms were just very thin, diarrhea every day, but
she would eat a full bowl of food daily so we knew she
was getting plenty of food.” After several days of treat-
ments with no sign of improvement, the shelter began
to seek outside help for the newly named “Justice.” This
is when Parker County Pets Alive stepped in to offer
their help.
PCPA is an animal rescue group that assists the
WPCAS with their needs, but also incorporating the
growing community in their efforts to make positive
changes for pets and pet owners. Dr. Ryan Cate and his
caring staff support their efforts by coordinating treat-
ment and providing education for the new owners on
caring for their pet and preventing future heartworm
infestations.
PCPA took Justice to Dr. Cate, who owns and oper-
ates both Riverstone Veterinary Group in Brock and
Grote Veterinary Group just southwest of the court-
house in Weatherford. Dr. Cate was briefed on what
was previously done with Justice and set out to assess
the problem by running some tests and taking x-rays.
A Dog’s Desperate
Need to Survive
Based on the collective information, Dr. Cate determined
there was a blockage in the cecum near the junction with
the small intestine. Cate performed a 45-minute surgery at
which time he went in and removed the debris causing the
blockage, which showed items such as sticks, twigs, grass
and other non-digestible items.
Little did Justice know, but while she was agonizing
over her condition, she was adopted by a nice couple.
Justice will have two older brothers, also Rottweilers, to
Justice before surgery