** Warning: Readers may find some photos upsetting **
When he was discovered by a security guard, little Trooper was in pretty bad shape. Someone had left the little brown puppy to die in a parking lot
The security guard happened to notice the pup as he was doing his rounds. When he got closer, he saw a small puppy who seemed to be having a seizure. He immediately scooped him up and rushed the distressed pup inside.
He posted his heartbreaking discovery on a community page for the San Fernando Valley, California Facebook page.
Luckily, another rescuer had been awake and saw the post. She immediately contacted the security guard on Facebook and offered to take the pup to an emergency vet.
But the security guard and the puppy weren't IN California - they were actually in Mexicali Mexico. That was nearly four hours away!
Once they realized that it would take more than two people to rescue the little puppy, the Los Angeles rescuer, reached out to her contacts in Tijuana, Mexico. Another rescuer, local to the Rosarito area, jumped in her car at midnight and drove for 3 hours to where the injured puppy waited with the security guard.
It took a village to rescue little Trooper, find out how they did it on the next page!
The traumatized pup was now in good hands and had been brought back to Rosarito where an emergency veterinarian was on standby.
The puppy was given a thorough exam, bloodwork and X-rays to discover exactly what was the cause of his seizure.
Tragically, he had a fractured skull - the little guy had no other injuries. The vet made the grim realization that he had likely been hit with a hammer or a pipe, based on the size of the fracture and its severity.
The vet sedated the little puppy out of mercy. Now named Trooper by the security guard who first sounded the alarm, he would spend the next three days fighting for his life.
When he awoke, it was clear that he had neurological damage - he was blind and he could not stand or balance at all. But, he was hungry and started eating right away. Soon, he was standing and slowly re-learning how to walk.
The good people at Foreverhome Pet Rescue carefully monitored little Trooper's recovery.
"We wanted to be sure we took the time to provide him with the best chance at a quality life, so he went to a foster home," his rescuers write, "It was extremely difficult to watch him struggle to stand. We all wondered whether we were doing the right thing."
After two weeks of TLC in foster care, he grew stronger and stronger. Eventually, he was even able to walk without leaning on something!
Watch his amazing recovery in the video on the next page!
"This little guy WANTS TO LIVE. He is even playful and gets up to a "happy bouncy trot" when playing with his foster family," wrote his rescuers.
As of June 3, 2017, little Trooper is an official U.S. citizen. Under the care of his American rescuers he will see a neurologist and an ophthalmologist as he continues his healing journey.
For now he's got a special, padded play area that protects him from injury and allows him to develop his walking skills - look at him go!
And he's even making new friends!
Little Trooper still has a long road to recovery - thankfully he's in very good hands!
Follow his story on Facebook, tax-deductible donations to his care can be made on the website here.