Since Susanna couldn’t walk, Zapata and others carefully lifted her onto a tarp and placed her in their truck. Though her condition was dire, she was finally safe.
The rescuers swiftly rushed Susanna to the nearest animal hospital, where she received fluids and underwent blood tests. It became evident that she was paralyzed, but the cause remained unknown. There was uncertainty regarding whether she would ever regain the ability to walk.
After several more days of tests and stabilizing Susanna’s condition, the rescue transferred her to Clint Moore Animal Hospital in Boca Raton. As the veterinary team reviewed her tests and records, the heartbreaking details of Susanna’s past slowly emerged.
There were no spinal issues or broken bones, but Susanna’s inability to walk was likely due to the mistreatment inflicted upon her by humans.
”Her legs showed signs of arthritis and physical deformities, which indicate that she was probably confined to a crate since she was a puppy,” Kardon explained. “Most likely, she spent the majority of her life in that crate, used for breeding purposes. And when breeders were finished with her, they simply discarded her.”
At only three years old, Susanna had already endured immense suffering, yet her spirit and will to live remained unbroken.
“The first time I saw her, she lifted her head and licked my face,” Kardon recalled. “That was the moment. This girl wanted to live, and we were determined to do everything in our power to help her.”
Together, the rescue team and veterinary staff devised a comprehensive recovery plan. They provided Susanna with nutritious food to help her regain strength and weight. Once she was ready, she would commence physical therapy.
To alleviate the stiffness in her feeble muscles and bones, she also received pain medication.
With nourishment and love, Susanna’s energy gradually returned. Just over a week after her rescue, the veterinary team brought her to a rehabilitation pool to assess her progress.
To everyone’s delight, she started walking in the water.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” Kardon said. “It was an immense relief.”
Knowing Susanna’s determination to move forward, her veterinarians regularly brought her to the pool for stretching exercises and walks.
The sparkle returned to her eyes, and she wagged her tail with joy whenever she encountered anyone.
Her recovery continued steadily, aided by laser treatments and water therapy that eased her leg pain and bolstered her strength.
Now, more than a month since being discovered at the dumping ground, Susanna has regained enough strength to socialize and play gently with other dogs. She adores them all.
Recently, she discovered the pure delight of rolling on the grass—a simple pleasure she may have never experienced without the intervention of her rescuers and veterinarians.
Witnessing Susanna’s remarkable progress, Kardon eagerly awaits the day when she will be ready to find a loving forever home. Until then, she revels in the extraordinary spirit that radiates from Susanna, brightening every room she enters.
“She is truly a testament to her breed,” Kardon remarked. “She is strong, determined, and courageous, yet sweet and affectionate. She possesses the heart of a Rottweiler, without a doubt.”