Chewie’s Story

About Our Involvement

Chewie came into care on the May long weekend (2023) with third-degree burns to his paws, back, tail and tender parts after forest fires ravaged the community of East Prairie Metis Settlement. Frontliners with the FLIP Program requested assistance through the Brooker Gretz Memorial Fund. After Chewie arrived in Edmonton, we realized that his injuries were considerably more severe than anticipated.

For the next five months, we covered Chewie’s medical expenses. With the help of an extraordinary foster family, over 70 vet trips were made during this time, with bandage changes daily (sometimes several times a day) to clean and treat his wounds. Chewie suffered repeated infections in his paws, and it appeared we were losing hope. In September of 2023, we asked if Chewie could be transferred to care with our Foundation, and subsequently, he was surrendered as a sanctuary dog. Chewie needed more care and we needed to start thinking out of the box.

We enlisted the help of a long-time vet partner who reviewed all of his medical history and then set out to assess and make recommendations for treatment for the aggressive, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in his feet.

A plan was formulated, and within two weeks, saw a drastic improvement in Chewie’s condition. Chewie’s monthly cost of care is approximately $500, including a species-appropriate raw food diet (which is discounted generously by his foster mom), supplements, bandages, veterinary assessment and in-home visits. Funds raised from this auction will support Chewie’s care for approximately six months. Chewie is an intact male, and we are waiting for medical clearance for him to undergo a neuter as Chewie suffered considerable smoke inhalation. Hence, we want to ensure he is healthy and robust enough for the next step in the journey.

We want to take a moment to recognize his foster family, who has gone above and beyond what could or should ever be asked of or expected of a foster. Foster care is a lifeline for an animal in need, and Chewie would not be where he is today if it were not for the dedication of his foster
family. This has been an incredibly emotional and stressful journey and many sacrifices have been made to get him to where he is today.

We believe that Chewie has gained strength because of the diet he is on, the vigilant efforts of his foster mom, benefactors who donated towards his care, a compassionate, knowledgeable and patient Dr. Deb as well as the lovely Terra from Prince’s Paws Grooming who is helping Chewie to trust having his nails trimmed regularly so that they don’t cause more issues for his
feet.

So many efforts have gotten him to where he is today, and we are pleased to welcome all of you to ‘Team Chewie’.

Is your dog on a raw food diet? Do you want to learn more about supplements, enrichment and a species-appropriate diet? In 2023, Edmonton Raw Food donated $600 in food for Chewie!