Veterinarian Dr. Andy Mathis was about to leave work for the night when he received a call from a woman who said she found a dog in bad shape on a rural dirt road in Elberton, Georgia. She couldn’t afford to treat her, but she couldn’t just leave the dog there to die and asked if he could help.
Dr. Andy asked her to bring the dog to him so he could look at her to evaluate her condition. “Emaciated, starved (20 lbs.) dehydrated, hypothermic (temp of 95), anemic, and with a vaginal prolapse,” Dr. Andy wrote on Facebook about the tiny young Pit Bull.
He knew he had a choice to make…put her to sleep or give her a chance. He asked his friends for advice and they responded, “try, especially if she still has a will to live. Try”
And so Dr. Andy decided to try.
He knew the dog, now named Graycie Claire, needed more medical care than he could give. With funds raised with the help of friends, he took her to emergency care at the Vet Teaching Hospital of the University of Georgia.
Photo credit: Granite Hills Animal Care
“The doctors at UGA were able to get her temp back up, reduce her prolapse temporarily, and rehydrate her. Her blood levels were low, but I couldn’t afford a transfusion, and she was eating on her own,” he said.
So he took her back to his clinic, Granite Hills Animal Care, and began to take care of her.
Graycie slowly improved every day and after a few days she grew more alert and even had the energy to bark at his cats.
As she didn’t eat comfortably unless he was with her, Dr. Andy sat in the cage with her.
That’s how this video came to be filmed. I just love how he has his own bowl of food to eat while encouraging Graycie to eat her own!
It’s such a sweet moment between doctor and patient. As Graycie got better and ready for adoption Dr. Andy realized that Graycie was already home and where she needed to be. She now lives with Dr. Andy and his family, how great is that?
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