Houston Rescuers Discover Starved Dog Hanging On By A Thread
This poor dog was truly at the edge of survival.
When Monique first saw his photo, she froze. His sunken eyes, frail body, and defeated expression told a story of suffering no living creature should endure. She couldn’t shake the thought of him, and soon she found herself saying, “What’s one more?”
Despite already caring for other pets, Monique’s heart told her she couldn’t walk away. This dog, later named Chance, needed someone right then and there. So she brought him home.
At first, things looked promising. He ate a little, rested a lot, and showed tiny signs of improvement. For two or three days, hope flickered. But just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished.
Chance suddenly stopped eating. When he tried, he couldn’t keep food down. His nausea grew worse, and the pain was written all over his fragile body.
Monique rushed him back to the vet. Initial exams didn’t reveal much, but something was clearly wrong. X-rays were ordered, and the truth was devastating.
Chance had a serious obstruction in his intestines. His condition spiraled, vomiting worsened, and he was fading fast.
The injection the vet tried hadn’t worked. Monique was told the grim reality: Chance needed emergency surgery if he was going to survive.
But he wasn’t just starving. He was also anemic, sick, and battling heartworm. The vet warned the operation was extremely risky. Without it, though, he had no chance at all.
That’s when he was given his name, Chance. Everyone involved wanted to give him exactly that: one shot at life.
Monique whispered encouragement to him before the surgery, stroking his head as she told him,
“Can you fight? Yes. You can do that for me. I need you to be strong.”
For five agonizing hours, surgeons worked, removing 12 inches of damaged intestine. Chance was placed in the ICU, fighting for every breath.
The first day after surgery was bleak. He was weak, tired, and in pain. But Monique saw a flicker in his eyes, a spark that said he wasn’t ready to give up. By the second day, he surprised everyone, he stood, walked a few steps, and even begged for food.
From that moment, Chance began to turn the corner.
Weight started coming back, his energy returned, and his once-dim spirit lit up again. Monique watched in amazement: “How quickly he turned around.” Her weak, broken rescue was blossoming into a lively, joyful pup.
The vet later admitted Chance was the worst case she had ever operated on—calling him nothing short of a walking miracle. And that’s exactly what he was.
Chance spent the next weeks healing in Monique’s care, basking in sunshine, playing like a puppy, and soaking up every ounce of love. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t just surviving, he was truly living.
And then came the final, happy chapter.
Chance was adopted into a forever home, where his family saw exactly what Monique had seen from the very beginning: a gentle soul who just needed love, safety, and a fair shot at life.
From starvation and pain to joy and security, Chance’s story is proof that sometimes, all it takes is one person’s choice to give a broken animal the second chance they deserve.
