Athena was found wandering as a stray. She was out in the winter weather for at least two weeks. We know this for certain as the woman who found her had a pervious sighting around Christmas, but by the time she got outside to get Athena, Athena was gone. On January 11, 2005 this woman came home and Athena was in her back yard playing with this woman's puppy. Athena was wet and shivering and emaciated. Finally she gained Athena's trust enough that Athena followed her puppy inside the house, and, after an initial inspection, realized that Athena needed emergency medical care.

Athena was taken to the Emergency Hospital in Columbus, NJ. At 33 pounds, she was diagnosed with: malnutrition (with vomiting), Lyme disease, mammary tumors, and a heart murmur (which may have become more pronounced because of dehydration, as it is silent now). In addition, she has been hit by a car, which left her with a bad leg that requires surgery. On a positive note, she is heartworm negative.

Athena is now in foster care with Willing Hearts Dalmatian Rescue in NJ. She is about three years old and loves her foster daddy and the other dogs in her foster home. She is halfway through her Lyme treatment, however, Athena still needs much medical care. She has gained 7 pounds, and once she gains 3-5 pounds more will be strong enough to undergo the surgery for her leg and a second surgery for her spay and mammary tumor removal.

March 2, 2005: Athena was spayed today and all went well with the surgery. The vet is biopsying the tumors and thinks that they are benign. One tumor was apparently a small piece of rib that was broken off. The vet removed it without problem. She has gained much strength, and is doing very well in her foster home.

March 10th: Athena was featured on the local Philadelphia affiliate Fox New's "Fursdays" Segment along with several other Willing Hearts dogs. She was a star!!

March 26th: Athena has recovered nicely from her spay and mammary tumor removal. The biopsy came back benign and the vet feels he removed all of the growth. She still has one tumor left. The vet indicated that he would have had to cut her too much to remove it so he said to keep an eye on it. She will be getting her other surgery for her leg as soon as the Vet sees her x-rays and determines what needs to be done.

April 3: Athena is scheduled to have leg surgery for her ligament damage this coming Thursday, April 7th at the vet hospital in Sinking Springs, PA. The estimated cost of the surgery is $1,000.00. In addition, she will need to stay at the hospital so that she can receive the post-surgical care to rehabilitate her leg and allow her to make a full recovery. Look for a surgical update later in the week. Paws crossed that it goes well!!

April 7th: The following are updates from our WHDR volunteer who works at the Vet's office:

Afternoon: Today was Athena's surgery. The Vet said he could not believe that she was even attempting to walk on her leg because of the extent of the injuries. She has sustained a lot of damage to her knee and the joint. He said it looked like prior damage -- she probably had a dislocated knee cap before she was hit by the car, and she did damage to the grove that the knee cap rides in. He cleaned out as much of the junk as he could, and stabilized the joint as best as possible. Hopefully she will be able to build up her muscles, and be able to use her leg in a few weeks. She should start glucosamine and glychoflex, etc. She is doing well though, but she will be in pain for a little while.

5:00 pm: Athena started waking up. She is in a bit of pain. The Vet reiterated that he has never really seen such extensive damage. Her knee is stable now, but there was just so much scar tissue everywhere, and damage that only time will tell if she will be able to use her leg well. Poor girl has just been through so much.

April 8th: Athena is very sore, but got around pretty well today. She just sort of stood there and whined, and wanted me to keep petting her. She will need some extra tender care for the next weeks. She is on clavamox to prevent infection, carprofen for pain and inflammation, and she also has a fentanyl patch on for pain that she can leave on through next weekend. She should continue to take glucosamine or an equivalent for the rest of her life. The Vet is optimistic about her walking on it well again -- we will just have to see how well she heals.

April 10th: Athena is returning to her foster home to recuperate. She is very happy to be with her foster dad once again. Look for updates on her rehabilitation.

April 17th: Athena is making great progress! She is beginning to touch her toe to the ground ("toe touching" which the Vet said should happen about 10 days after surgery, so she's right on schedule) and also tentatively using her leg to walk. This dog amazes me. She has such a strong will. I hope she will fully recover, and be able to have full use of her leg. I think she is doing very well just 10 days after the surgery. More updates to follow...