Last December, outside of the NYPD’s 24th Precinct in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a large cloth bag was dropped at the door by an unknown person. When the police opened it, they discovered a very ill 2-year-old dog, and they knew that he was in urgent need of medical care. He was extremely underweight, to the point that he was unable to stand up, and he could barely lift his head. He was likely mere days away from starving to death.

Chewy, as he was later named, was quickly taken to the Veterinary Emergency Group in the Upper East Side, where their staff helped carefully stabilize him overnight. The following day, he was transferred to the Veterinary Emergency and Referral Group (VERG) in Brooklyn for further treatment by veterinary criticalists – Chewy’s situation was so severe that he needed to be monitored 24/7 by these specialized doctors.

At VERG, it was determined that Chewy’s heart had difficulties contracting, he lost a significant amount of blood in his gastrointestinal tract, and he had a distended stomach with foreign material inside. He received an endoscopy to remove the material from his stomach, and the staff were surprised to find that he had ingested two pairs of men’s underwear. It was thought that Chewy must have eaten the underwear simply because he was so hungry.

The medical team at VERG began a refeeding protocol to slowly and safely reintroduce food to Chewy’s body. This protocol is vital for severely emaciated dogs like him, because if they eat too much food too quickly, they may deal with a life-threatening complication called refeeding syndrome. For the first few days, he needed a stomach tube because his GI tract was too compromised to eat on his own. He also required nutritional supplements, heart medication and blood products (packed red blood cells and albumin) to address the various problems caused by prolonged starvation.

Once Chewy no longer needed such an intense level of care and monitoring, he was ready to transfer to the ASPCA Animal Hospital (AAH), where he would continue to receive critical treatment.

Chewy, upon intake at the ASPCA. He was too weak to stand on his own and had to be assisted.

Getting Back on His Feet

When he first arrived at AAH, Chewy was still so weak that he was unable to stand without being held up, and he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. However, our medical team was encouraged by his social demeanor, as he would bark for attention and calm down while being pet. In the ICU, he received “down dog” care, which involved frequently rotating and flipping his body around to prevent sores from laying in the same position for too long.

Due to significant muscle wasting, Chewy would end up needing weeks of intensive care to help him stand up again. The dedicated staff began treating Chewy with a form of physical therapy, to help him rebuild the muscle that he had lost. He was soon showing incredible progress, and every day, he was able to stay standing for just a little bit longer. After two weeks of this consistent care, he was able to walk the length of the ICU without support! And after three weeks, he was walking around on his own and looking stronger than ever.

Dr. Aubrey Crowley, Medical Supervisor, has worked at the ASPCA for seven years, caring for many animals who were victims of cruelty. But there hadn’t been anyone like Chewy.

“Chewy is, to date, the worst emaciation case I've seen who went on to make a full recovery,” Dr. Crowley says. “During those weeks in the ICU, I spent a good deal of time with him, examining him and adjusting his medical management plan daily, as needed. I grew very attached to him because, in spite of what he had been through, he remained an incredibly sweet boy who just wanted pets and attention.”

Chewy was soon strong enough to stand on his own and enjoy longer walks to the park.

In January, four weeks after he was abandoned at the police precinct, Chewy was strong enough to move out of the hospital and to the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center (ARC). Now in their capable hands, he continued to receive expert care on his road to recovery. Over the following few weeks, the staff carefully increased the length of both his walk time and the amount of food he was given. His weight was improving, as well as his heart condition. An echocardiogram showed that Chewy’s heart was back to full function, so he no longer needed his heart medication. One by one, his other medications and supplements were also able to be stopped. Soon enough, he had more than doubled his original weight, and he was finally ready to be adopted!

Now that Chewy was feeling much healthier and stronger, he made one more move to the ASPCA Adoption Center. The Adoption Center team quickly began to see his loving and silly personality emerge. He loved to take long walks to a nearby park, and he was a star in playgroup with the other dogs! Chewy’s love for exercise and play was like he was making up for all that time he lost when he was so sick.

“Once he moved to the Adoption Center,” Dr. Crowley says, “I took any free time I had to take him on extended walks, and I was always so happy to see how much he was continuing to thrive.”

In April, Dr. Crowley was happy to help Chewy take some photos for his adoption profile. During their photo shoot, he wanted nothing more than pets, belly rubs and snuggles with one of his biggest fans!

Not long after those photos were taken, Chewy’s online profile was seen by his future adopter.

“To see not only that he made it as far as he did, to this young, healthy, robust dog,” Dr. Crowly says, “but that he found a loving, safe home where he is cherished and met with patience and understanding of where he came from is like the biggest reward for doing this job.”

Dr. Aubrey Crowley and Chewy.

Chewy Meets His BFF

Brandon B. had been living in New York City for over a year when he first thought that a dog companion would be a good way to stay active and get out of the house more. He never had a dog of his own, and after doing some research, he decided that adopting would be the best way to go.

“Chewy’s face was one of the first that popped up on the ASPCA website, and I sent his picture to my girlfriend,” Brandon says. “I asked her, ‘Hey, should I adopt him?’”

Brandon initially didn’t apply for Chewy online, thinking that he was already adopted. However, when he visited the Adoption Center a little while later, they mentioned that Chewy was one of their available dogs!

“I had recognized the name and told them, ‘Wait! I think he was literally my first choice when searching!’” Brandon says. “And lo and behold, it was him!”

When they finally got to meet, Brandon saw that Chewy was an energetic and happy boy who loved getting pets. The moment Chewy flipped over and asked him for belly rubs, he knew that was the dog for him. Soon enough, they were finalizing the adoption, and they headed out to start their new life together.

Brandon B. and his girlfriend, Elena D., after adopting Chewy and turning a new leaf!

A New Zeal for Life

When they first arrived home, Chewy could barely contain his joy and had a potty accident.

“His excitement would sometimes get the best of him, and he would run around nibbling on whatever he could – including me,” says Brandon.

In the early days, Chewy was living up to his name and playfully mouthed Brandon, as well as other household objects within his reach. On walks through their neighborhood, he would also bark at people passing by on the street. Despite those hurdles, Brandon continued to take an understanding and patient approach, as Chewy just went through a massive transition into a new home with a new friend.

“Over time, I assured him that he was in a safe space where no one means him any harm – and he could relax,” Brandon says. “I was like, ‘You’re here to stay, buddy. This is it!’”

Chewy has since settled down and adjusted well to his new, happy life. He even feels much more at ease on his walks, too. Brandon introduced him to other people in his neighborhood, and Chewy is now much more friendly and inviting.

Brandon also now knows that Chewy is simply an excitable boy sometimes, especially if he’s going to get pets and attention from a friend. With some patience and asking Chewy to take things easy, he now calms down nicely so that he can get some well-deserved love.

“He’s such a chill pup,” Brandon says. “We’ve both learned so much from each other and adjusted to each other’s habits.”

These days, life is great for these two best friends. Brandon is now well-attuned to Chewy’s wants and needs, such as when he whines and needs to go for a walk, or when he’s looking for some playful attention. Chewy is a smart pup who is working on perfecting his training commands, and he’s socializing a little more with other people and dogs – without getting too excited!

Brandon also decided on a perfect new name for his buddy – Risotto, or Rizzo for short!

Chewy, now known as Risotto, and his new cozy life.

Enjoying Life – Together

Brandon is also grateful for the ways that Risotto has changed his life for the better. He previously struggled to build more structure in his life, but this newfound responsibility as a dog parent has made that easy.

“Now that he’s here, we both get plenty of exercise with our walks in the park,” Brandon says. “And he does his job quite well of supporting me emotionally, by cuddling in bed with me every chance he gets!”

Risotto’s experience with extreme hunger and emaciation may have also made an impact on his personality today, but he’s still just like any other dog who loves food! Whenever it’s mealtime, he jumps up happily and shows Brandon gratitude for his new life.

“Not having access to food definitely reflects to how he eats now,” Brandon says. “Now that he’s gotten bigger, it makes me happy to see. I can tell we’re heading in a good direction!”

Risotto has had an incredible journey to find his person. Just like the medical staff that helped bring Rizzo back from the brink, Brandon used an approach of patience, understanding and staying open-minded to give him the best home possible.

“In the beginning, the adjustment period can be a lot of work,” Brandon says, sharing some advice for future adopters. “But once they settle in, you’ll see the peace and appreciation on their face that you gave them a chance.”