Happy Roo’s for Ryder’s Recovery
Oct 22, 2024
After falling ill with a rare disease, Ryder is back on his feet and serenading his new family with his signature “happy roos!"
Ryder had been picked up as a stray and brought to Chicago Animal Care & Control (CACC), the city impoundment facility. He was starving, weak, and struggling to keep food down. Under that golden coat, the sharp ridges of every single bone could be felt. It was clear he needed medical care as he continued to lose strength, so he was transferred to the PAWS Chicago Nan & Wayne Kocourek Medical Center.
A blood test revealed that Ryder’s extreme muscle weakness and fatigue was due to a rare condition for us to see here at PAWS: myasthenia gravis. This disease interrupts the communication between nerves and muscles, which was why Ryder was struggling to walk and even swallow, as the muscles in his throat were also affected. Difficulty eating had caused him to aspirate food into his lungs, which led to aspirate pneumonia, but once we had his diagnosis in hand, it was time to get Ryder on the road to recovery.
IV fluids and medications helped get essential fluids and nutrients into his body, and slowly but surely, Ryder improved. He got stronger and steadier on his feet and worked his way up to full meals. As he started to feel more like himself, Ryder would howl “happy roos” to his PAWS friends when he got excited to see them. He was always an affectionate pup, resting his head in any outstretched hand or pawing at you for more love, but his playful side really started to emerge once he moved to a foster home.
Ryder spent lots of time recovering, cuddling, and playing with his foster family and their resident dog. He would follow their resident pup around the house, eventually asking her to prance and play.
“He was seriously the most loving, trusting dog from the moment we got him” said foster Mary Kate Callaghan, “We truly loved having him, and to watch him grow stronger and come out of his shell each day was the best.”
During his foster stay, Frank Rogers, a family friend, came to visit and became smitten with Ryder. They took him on as a Help Me Heal pet, our foster-to-adopt program for injured pets.
Rogers said, “From the first day we brought him home it was like he had always been here! He immediately fell in love with our large fenced in backyard where he can freely roam and chase squirrels and birds! We just love him! It’s like he belonged to us from Day 1. We can’t imagine being without him.”
Ryder is now fully recovered and so strong that he goes on long walks every morning. Rather than starving on the streets, Ryder now sleeps in bed between his two parents, sunbathes in a big yard with his nose up to sniff the breeze, and naps his days away on his pick of comfy chairs throughout the house. Congratulations, Ryder!
Watch Sylvia Perez on FOX Chicago's segment about Ryder.