We don't know much about Jambalaya's life before she was rescued. What we do know is that she spent at least the last few years in a small chain-link kennel, surrounded by other dogs in other kennels, in an alleged hoarding situation in rural Louisiana.

When Jambalaya arrived at our shelter, it was clear she needed medical attention right away. Her skin was red and itchy, and her right knee seemed to be causing her discomfort. Our veterinarian diagnosed Jambalaya with something called atopic dermatitis and a CCL tear (which is an injury to her cranial cruciate ligament). Jambalaya is now getting medication for her skin and knee pain, and surgery may need to be the next step for her knee.

On top of this, we weren't sure if Jambalaya was spayed or not. Instead of performing exploratory surgery, we took a different approach: our veterinarian took a blood sample and sent it to the Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University, where they performed an Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) test to determine if she was already spayed - thankfully, she was!

Jambalaya is now spending her time in a foster home, with a big yard to explore and lots of love from her foster family. As much as she is enjoying her foster home, she would love to find a home to call her own!