Sick dog has heartbreaking reaction as owner visits him in vet hospital

A woman has captured her sick dog’s heartbreaking reaction when she came to visit him in the veterinary hospital.

Gunner has been a part of Audrey’s life ever since she picked him up as an 8-week-old puppy in Florida nearly three years ago. 

“I had the first pick of the litter and he was the only puppy that really paid attention to me,” Audrey told Newsweek. “I was living alone and I wanted a companion and protector. He’s incredibly friendly, loves people, kids and animals.”

They have been inseparable ever since. “He loves going on trail walks and playing fetch with his ball,” Audrey said. “He’s also a super couch potato most of the day and totally glued to my hip while I work from home.”

The close relationship Audrey enjoys with Gunner isn’t out of the ordinary. A survey from the Pew Research Center said 97 percent of U.S. pet owners say their animals are part of their family, while 51 percent say their pet is as much a part of the family as a human member.

While Gunner and Audrey have been inseparable for some time, there was a moment recently when their harmonious existence was thrown into serious doubt. Gunner got ill and, for a little while, there were serious concerns he might not pull through.

“He ate a piece of metal that was hidden in a clump of grass, which pierced his intestines, and he went septic,” Audrey said. “They told me he had a 50 percent chance of survival.”

Gunner spent 10 long days in a veterinary hospital getting the treatment he needed. It was agony for Audrey. “It was terrible, especially leaving him there,” she said. “I was devastated every day.”

She wasn’t the only one struggling either. Gunner was missing Audrey, too. Proof of that came during one of her visits when she caught him on camera in his kennel desperately trying to get up to greet her, despite his unwell state.

“I had gone to see him every day, but that was the first day he tried to get up; the other days, he was too sedated to move much at all,” Audrey said. “He was trying to come over to me, but he was struggling.”

The clip was shared to TikTok under the handle @aud3831. Something about that video of Gunner exhausting every last ounce of his limited strength to see his human resonated with viewers, as did the moment of realization it sparked for Audrey. “Every time I show up he thinks he’s going home and it kills me,” she wrote alongside the clip.

At the time of writing, the video has been watched over 194,000 times, with viewers flocking to offer kind words of support to Audrey and Gunner.

“Oh this poor sweet baby,” one user wrote. “I hope you both feel better soon cause I know it can’t be easy on either of you.” Another posted: “Praying for his speedy recovery! rotties are the best.”

Audrey said she posted the clip to “get some emotional support” during what was a difficult time. Thankfully, Gunner’s story did have a happy ending. “He made it,” Audrey added.

Now, the focus is on finding a way to fund the sizable bill Audrey has been left footing for Gunner’s treatment. She has already setup a GoFundMe and, given Gunner’s newfound social media fame, is hopeful of recouping the costs soon.

For now, Audrey is just focusing on making sure Gunner is happy, comfortable and keeping up to date with the meds prescribed to him; oh, and giving him lots of cuddles, of course.