Starved Siberian Husky Finds Forever Home After Eating Stones And Sticks To Survive

"There were no food remnants in her stomach, so we think she was eating gravel to try to stay alive."

Stephanie

• Published in Animal Stories
• March 8, 2022

Meet Willow. The beautiful Siberian Husky was found by two kindhearted passers-by as she lay on the side of the road in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, in January 2015.

Mathieu Letourneau and Guillaume Lefevre were driving past when they spotted Willow. At first, they weren't sure if Willow was a dog, a wolf, or perhaps a coyote, but they felt compelled to stop and find out.

"I decided to turn around, and the dog was sitting there just giving up, barely moving," Letourneau said. "It was just starved to death and needed something warm."

Mathieu and Guillaume offered Willow some of their Subway sandwich before loading her into their car and taking her to the Maple Ridge Society for the Prevention of Animal Cruelty (BC SPCA). Upon examination, vets made the heartbreaking discovery that Willow had been eating rocks, sticks, and dirt to survive.

"When she first came in, she was unable to lie down due to abdominal pain caused by rocks and soil in her gastrointestinal tract," said Eileen Drever, a BC SPCA senior animal protection officer. "There were no food remnants in her stomach, so we think she was eating gravel to try to stay alive."

Eileen says she wholeheartedly believes that Willow would have been dead within 24 hours if Mathieu and Guillaume hadn't have found her. At 2-years-old, Willow weighed just 33lbs (or 15kg), when the healthy weight for a Husky that age would be around 53lbs (or 24kg).

On a scale of 1 to 9 on the Canine Body Conditioning Scale, sweet Willow scored just 1 after her assessment.

BC SPCA senior animal protection officer Eileen says she wholeheartedly believes that Willow would have been dead within 24 hours if Mathieu and Guillaume hadn't have found her.

An investigation was made to find Willow's owner, a university student in his 20s.

The case is now under review with the Crown Council prosecutors, who will decide if the man will be charged.

As for beautiful Willow, she went into the care of a loving foster family, where she began to heal and thrive again.

"She absolutely loves going into the water – it's hard to keep her out!" wrote the BC SPCA.

"She loves going to the river, where she tries to go for a swim, no matter how cold the water."

"Her foster mum has to coax her out with treats so that she doesn't get too wet and catch a cold."

After one and a half months of love and care, Willow gained 20.5lbs (or 9.3kg) and loved her time with her foster family. She loves to go for walks and car rides.

On March 16th, Willow was adopted by a loving family of her own. "We were fortunate enough to find a family who has experience with this breed, and they're so happy to include Willow as a new, furry family member," Maple Ridge SPCA assistant branch manager Faydra Nichols said.

We hope you have the best life ever, Willow!

Stephanie