Photo: Animal Rescue League
(Des Moines, IA) -- An emaciated Great Dane dog found last month in an empty south Des Moines apartment is recovering. The Animal Rescue League says when the dog was found it looked like a skeleton. The A-R-L says the dog, named Kal, has been safely regaining weight. The investigation continues, no word yet on potential charges.
When the ARL officer told the owner to let him out, the dog bolted for the bathroom and began guzzling water out of the toilet. The ARL officer immediately transported Kal to the ARL Emergency Care Team. The ARL says the dog was so emaciated and dehydrated that even his head and eyes were sunken in. He had no muscle mass whatsoever and weighed just 44 pounds. He wouldn’t have survived much longer.
The ARL says Kal ate and drank ravenously, pushing the bowl around the floor to get every last morsel. His dehydration was extreme, so we started him on IV fluids.