A dog has miraculously survived after spending four days on a patch of ice along the Detroit River.
The dog, now named Alfonso, was chased out further into the river by a coyote. Multiple people tried to rescue the pooch, but the fragile ice made it a difficult feat.
La Salle Fire and Rescue tried to reach him, but to no avail.
Finally, a Canadian boater ended up reaching him, after searching for him for a half hour. Alfonso was very scared and hid in trees while his frozen body shivered with both fear and coldness.
The boater grabbed the freezing one-year-old pup and brought him back to shore.
Alfonso is now receiving care at the Woodhaven Animal Hospital. Vets at the hospital are shocked that Alfonso even made it out alive, and says that a dog like him should never have survived out there for four days.
It’s unknown if Alfonso was a stray or if he belonged to someone, but the fact that he hadn’t been groomed in a while helped save his life. The extra hair on his body was able to keep him warm, otherwise he would’ve died from hypothermia.
He is now recovering from frostbite, pancreatitis and dehydration, but is thankfully improving with each passing day.
Vets put him in a hyperbaric chamber, and put him on IV fluids and antibiotics to kick-start his recovery.
He is now doing much better and able to eat on his own. Vets removed his matted hair and put him in a sweater to keep him warm.
