SAN ANTONIO – A dog found in a West Side dumpster two weeks ago is well on her way to recovery and a forever home.
San Antonio Animal Care Services rescued Millie, a yellow Labrador retriever, from a dumpster at the corner of Tampico Street and Sandy Court on April 20. ACS staff said she was seizing from heat stroke and would have died within the hour had she not been rescued.
"I think she's off to a really good start," said veterinarian Dr. Keith Leakey at Canyon City Animal Hospital.
While ACS estimated her to be 5 years old, Leakey believes she is actually about 9 or 10 years old. He said Millie's biggest worry now is heartworms. While they will cause permanent damage, they're nothing compared to what she's already faced.
Leakey said Millie will need some follow up for the heartworm treatment, and she will probably always cough. Otherwise, he said, her X-rays and lab work look good and she hasn't had a seizure since her rescue.
Leakey said Millie is probably going to recover just fine.
"We got her home and she just laid on the bed for probably 12 hours and just slept," said Holly Dean, who has been fostering Millie since Friday for the group Lucky Lab Rescue and Adoption.
Dean said Millie is "almost perfect" when it comes to her behavior, and her recovery is going well. She thinks Millie is just learning to trust people again.
"I think she's done a complete 180," Dean said. "I think she's doing, she's doing much better than I ever would have anticipated."
Millie's past is still a mystery. ACS believed she had an owner, but they don't know who it is or if it was the same person who put her in the dumpster.
Dean said Millie is house-broken and crate-trained, but Leakey said the dog's condition indicates she probably wasn't getting any care.
That isn't the case anymore. Many people are cheering Millie on through her recovery online. Dean gives regular updates on Millie's condition through the Facebook page "Millie the Dumpster Dog," which had more than 360 likes as of Wednesday.
"I think with her story, it's just so tragic," Dean said. "And now it's a happy ending."
Dean said because of the heartworm treatment it will take at least two months before Millie is available for adoption and even longer before she'll get to go to her permanent home.
In the meantime, Lucky Lab Rescue and Adoption is soliciting donations to help Millie and other dog's like her. Click here for more information.
Remember Millie? She was the 5-year-old Labrador retriever who was found abandoned in a Westside dumpster. She was near death at the time. But look at her now! Our Garrett Brnger is meeting with the woman who is fostering Millie and will have the latest at 6 p.m. More info: http://bit.ly/1W9tMBC
Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Wednesday, May 4, 2016