UPDATE (4/5/2022 10:00 a.m.)
Alaxandria Byron, 26, of Des Moines, has been arrested and charged with 1 count of Animal Neglect – Death or Serious Injury in the case of Kal, a Great Dane found shut in a kennel with no food and water and suffering from severe emaciation. Kal continues to recover at the ARL under the close watch of our 2 ARL staff veterinarians and the rest of the ARL’s Miracle Medical Team.
ORIGINAL STORY (4/4/202 1:00 p.m.)
He was trapped in a wire crate … and he was literally a skeleton.
That’s what our ARL Animal Services Officer saw when responding to a tip about a dog in need of urgent care at an apartment on Des Moines’ southeast side.
When the ARL officer arrived, she found a Great Dane, named Kal, shut in the crate with no food and no water – wasting away in an apartment where people were living. And no one was helping him.
When the ARL officer told the owner to let him out, he bolted for the bathroom and began guzzling water out of the toilet. He was so hungry and thirsty it was heartbreaking.
The ARL officer immediately transported Kal to our Emergency Care Team, who was waiting to treat him. The sight of him was shocking: We could see every bone in his body. He was so emaciated and dehydrated that even his head and eyes were sunken in. He had no muscle mass whatsoever and weighed just 44 pounds. He wouldn’t have survived much longer.
We immediately gave him food and water, and he ate and drank ravenously, pushing the bowl around the floor to get every last morsel. His dehydration was extreme, so we started him on IV fluids. He is now on a careful refeeding program to help him safely regain his weight. He is safe now, but he has a long road to recovery.
Kal didn’t deserve to be treated like this. We can’t imagine how someone could stand by and watch him waste away. But your gift today can give him hope.
With your help, Kal will never again know the horrors he suffered, and once he is healed, he’ll have the chance to find the loving home he so deserves. Whether you make a one-time gift today or choose to give monthly, you will be helping Kal and other pets like him who arrive at the ARL in need of emergency care with long journeys to recovery.
P.S.: The investigation into this case is ongoing. When you give today or join our Loyal Friends Club monthly giving program, you’ll be automatically enrolled to receive updates on Kal.
