A dog who was found on the brink of death at a Pennsylvania park has been named after Rocky star Sylvester Stallone after surviving the night.
Sly was just skin and bones when he was found by humane officer Ron Riggle at the Deshong Park in Chester around 12pm on Tuesday.
The poor pup only weighed around 50lb, about half what his body weight should be. He was so near death that he couldn’t even lift his head.
A dog who was found on the brink of death at a park in Chester, Pennsylvania has been named Sly in honor of Rocky star Sylvester Stallone after surviving the night
Sly only weighed around 50lb, about half what his body weight should be, when he was discovered. He was so near death he couldn’t even lift his head
Sly was taken to the Providence Animal Center, where Riggle had just one request for the doctors: ‘I want you to save his life’.
The animal center posted pictures of Sly on Tuesday night, promising to update followers on his treatment and working to raise money for the sickly pup.
‘We’ve named this beautiful boy Sly, of course after the Philly fighter Rocky, portrayed in the movie by Sylvester Stallone,’ it wrote in one post.
‘We need all of your support, prayers, positive thoughts and well wishes to keep this guy going. We promise to keep you updated.’
Sly was found by humane officer Ron Riggle at the Deshong Park (pictured) in Chester
An X-ray found that Sly had a blockage in his intestines that was being caused by a rope toy and he underwent emergency surgery
An X-ray found that Sly had a blockage in his intestines caused by a rope toy.
He underwent emergency foreign body removal surgery, during which his vitals remained strong and his organs looked healthy, according to the animal center.
Sly came out of the surgery successfully and even managed to wag his tail again.
The veterinarians had Sly stay at an overnight emergency facility following the surgery so that he could be tended to round-the-clock.
Sly, pictured here standing up right before his surgery, came out of it successfully and even managed to wag his tail again
The veterinarians had Sly stay at an overnight emergency facility following the surgery so that he could be tended to round-the-clock
Sly managed to survive the night and even began trying to lift his head.
He returned to the Providence Animal Center to rest in the isolation unit, where he received fluids and pain medication following the surgery.
Sly got to spend the next night at the home of Dr Gia Croce, one of the veterinarians who saved his life.
Croce’s family used towels as slings to give Sly the chance to take a short walk outside on the wet grass.
They then gave the pup a plush extra-large padded dog bed and fed him a wet food ‘meatball’ every hour that he loved.
Sly got to spend the next night at the home of Dr Gia Croce, one of the veterinarians who operated during the lifesaving surgery
Croce gave the pup a plush extra-large padded dog bed and fed him a wet food ‘meatball’ ever hour that he loved
Providence Animal Center has since revealed that Sly has a painful corneal ulcer in his right eye which seems to have ruptured.
‘This means, he very likely will lose his right eye,’ the animal center wrote on Facebook.
‘Right now, we’re providing medicine to the eye and watching it very closely.’
‘Overall, Sly seems to be recovering and resting easily after his ordeal of the past 36 hours. We remain optimistic about his health, and his future.’
The center is also working to find out where Sly may have been treated before he was abandoned.
Sly’s stomach and arm areas were shaved, indicating he recently had an ultrasound or catheter.
Providence Animal Center has since raised more than $1,000 for Sly’s treatment.
Croce’s family even used towels as slings to give Sly the chance to take a short walk outside on the wet grass