In Houston, Texas, Kathryn Mongrain, an experienced vet tech, founded “The Bottle Brigade” to help animals with special needs. This organization provides medically fragile animals a chance to survive when they might otherwise be euthanized. One of the animals Kathryn helped was Hammy, a tiny puppy with a cleft palate from Tiny Paws Rescue. Hammy required special care from the very beginning. Due to his difficulty breathing and extreme weakness, Kathryn had to keep him in an incubator initially. Through her dedicated efforts and expertise, Hammy’s health began to improve.
This is Hammy’s remarkable recovery story, a testament to the power of compassion and specialized care!
Despite his size and health issues, Hammy was a fighter. He didn’t like staying in the incubator. Kathryn remembers him protesting,
“He was like, ‘Umm, why am I back in here?’” As soon as Hammy was strong enough, he showed he didn’t want to be confined anymore. “Hammy was telling me he was ready to come out of the incubator. That boy’s lungs were no problem any longer,” said Kathryn.
Once he was feeling better, Hammy loved to play and explore. He even made a big friend at home, Etta, a Great Dane. Despite his small size, he was never afraid to be sassy with her. Hammy also became a favorite at the hospital where Kathryn worked.
He enjoyed interacting with everyone and was always ready to play after coming home.
“He came to work with me every single day at the hospital. Everybody was his friend. When we would leave work with Hammy, we’d come home, and he’d be ready to run around and play,” Kathryn described.
After recovering and getting the necessary surgeries for his cleft palate, Hammy went back to Genny, the woman who first brought him to Kathryn. He’s now living a normal dog’s life but still needs a little help with his health. Genny updated everyone, saying:
“Guess what, Hammy is now a “normal” pup!! He can eat regular dog food and drink from a bowl! Still on seizure medicine with bells on collar to alert If he has a seizure and Hammy has the emphysema smokers cough caused by his multiple pneumonias. Hammy is such a happy, joyous MIRACLE!!”
Kathryn and Genny’s dedication shows that with enough care, even pets with tough starts can have happy, normal lives.
Click the video below to watch this incredible story!
