Left Behind After His Owner Died - Help Save Marco

Marco Was Left Behind - Now He’s Fighting for His Life

Marco didn’t just lose his owner. He lost the only person who knew he was there.

After his owner passed away, no one realized that 5-year-old Marco was still inside the home. For what was likely weeks, he was completely alone with no one coming to feed him, care for him, or even know that he was waiting.

By the time Marco was finally discovered, he was barely hanging on.

He arrived at the local shelter severely emaciated, with a body condition score of just 1 out of 10. He was quite literally skin and bones. He also had a massive abscess on his neck that required immediate draining.

When Backwoods Barkers Rescue learned about Marco, we pulled him from the shelter and rushed him straight to the vet.

His bloodwork showed just how critical his condition had become.

Marco’s red blood cell count was only 9. A normal level should be around 40. He needed an emergency blood transfusion to save his life.

Right now, our only concern is keeping Marco alive and helping his fragile body recover. His immediate care includes his blood transfusion, IV fluids, hospitalization, medications, continued bloodwork and treatment for the wound on his neck.

And unfortunately, this is only the beginning.

Marco is also heartworm positive, but he is far too weak to begin heartworm treatment. He needs time to heal and gain a significant amount of weight before his body can safely handle it. Once he is strong enough, he will also need to be neutered and continue treatment for everything his body has endured.

Marco's total emergency care is estimated to be in the thousands, but right now we are taking his recovery one day at a time.

What makes his story even harder to comprehend is the dog underneath all of this.

Marco is incredibly sweet.

After losing his owner, being left alone for weeks, nearly starving to death, developing a painful abscess, and now enduring hospitalization and a blood transfusion, he still wants love. He still trusts people.

Marco survived long enough for someone to finally find him.

Now we need to make sure he gets the chance to truly live.

Please consider donating toward Marco’s veterinary care. Every donation, no matter the amount, helps us continue saying yes to dogs like Marco when they have nowhere else to go.

He has a very long road ahead of him - but he won’t have to travel it alone. ❤️🐾