Emaciated puppy found in pumpkin patch was ‘desperate to survive,’ shelter says

Clinging to life when she was discovered alone in a pumpkin patch field, a 9-month-old puppy is now receiving the care she needs in a Nebraska animal shelter.

The Capital Humane Society said the dog, now named Zephyr, was found “starving and emaciated” in the Otoe County field, according to a Sept. 26 post from the Lincoln animal shelter.

“She was so desperate to survive that she had been eating her own feces,” the shelter said.

Zephyr weighed just 12.1 pounds when she arrived at the shelter, Jake Bornschlegl, the director of veterinary medicine at Capital Humane Society, told KLKN. A healthy weight for a dog her age would be 35 to 40 pounds, he said.

Bornschlegl told the station Zephyr “had a difficult time moving” when she arrived at the shelter.

“She can’t lift her head up, she can’t move herself in any way, shape or form,” Bornschlegl said. “She just kind of laid there in whatever position she was at.”

Because of her physical state, her recovery could take months.

She is being monitored constantly and is receiving food and IV fluids as shelter workers aim to return her to full strength.

The shelter said in a Sept. 27 post it is “cautiously optimistic” she will make a full recovery. The staff called it a positive sign that she was eating.

“She’s continuing to make progress but she has a long road ahead of her towards a full recovery,” the humane society said the following day. “Our veterinary team has done an awesome job this weekend taking care of her and we are so lucky to have such amazing and caring staff who go above and beyond to help pets like Zephyr!”

For information on how to help and support Zephyr’s care, visit CapitalHumaneSociety.org.