PAWS Chicago in the Media
Apr 10, 2024
Fox 32 Spotlights Medical Team
Recently, WFLD-Channel 32 (FOX) started a semi-regular news segment educating viewers about PAWS Chicago’s impressive medical capabilities and making stars of the brave homeless pets who overcome difficult injuries and illnesses. These stories help spread the word on the advanced medical capabilities that make our adoption programs unique; because of the PAWS Chicago Medical Center & Lurie Clinic, we can treat and save pets that have nowhere else to go.
A recently featured pet was a puppy named Gus, whom we met when a Good Samaritan came to Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC), the city impoundment facility, rushing in with Gus in their arms after finding him on the side of the road. It seemed Gus suffered some trauma; he may have been hit by a car or attacked by another animal. He was crying in pain, his pulse was racing, and his heartbeat was faint—all while suffering from a fever, cuts on his back, extensive bruising, and swelling to his leg.
The PAWS intake team was at CACC when Gus arrived and rushed him back to the Medical Center for treatment, where an X-ray showed he also suffered from a broken pelvis. The PAWS veterinary team placed an IV catheter, a challenging task due to his low blood pressure, and was able to get fluids into his system, which improved his blood flow, pulse, and temperature. After two rounds of IV fluids, pain medication, antibiotics, and lots of rest, Gus was finally stable and his frail body started to heal.
Day by day, he was able to put more weight on his leg and his cuts healed, and we could easily track his broken bones’ progress with the imaging equipment at our Medical Center. Puppies are healing machines, and Gus is no exception—he healed wonderfully! The best news of all is that a healthy Gus showed off his personality and puppy energy and found a loving family he now calls his own.
Like so many other medical success stories at PAWS Chicago, Gus’s story and profile on Fox 32 helped engage the viewing audience on the plight of homeless pets, bringing more people into our mission, and helping us save more lives.