The only problem with pets is that they don’t live long enough, and Kaley Cuoco, who’s still grieving the death of her dog Dump Truck, is no stranger to loss.
After giving a new life to King, who was starving and scared when she rescued him, Cuoco was desperate to save the ailing dog, who was dying from a mysterious illness.
Now Kaley Cuoco, an animal lover and advocate wants to warn others. The actress shared photos of King, showing images of the little dog, shaved and covered bandages after life-saving surgery.
When Kaley Cuoco and her partner Tom Pelphrey rescued King from a shelter in Atlanta, the little dog was “scrawny, underweight scared and hairless.”
Nursing him to health and treating him like “a king,” King Cuoco-Pelphry quickly earned his position as “His Majesty.”
But recently, the star of Big Bang Theory warned pet owners of the fatal foxtail plant that was slowly killing King in a two-month battle.
Addressing her “dog lovers out there,” Cuoco, 37, shared an image of a wispy foxtail plant resting on her leg, with the caption: “This is a foxtail. They are extremely dangerous to animals esp dogs .. we spent the last 2 months trying to figure out what was wrong [with] our King.” She continued, “He had been violently ill and nothing was working. Many vet appts, surgery and endless meds. Finally found a specialist who found 2 of these in his body days away from piercing his heart !!”
WedMD explains that foxtail, if not removed, can lead to “serious infection” or death: “The barbed seed heads of the foxtail plant can work their way into any part of your dog or cat, from the nose to between the toes and inside the ears, eyes and mouth. They can even simply dig themselves directly into a patch of skin.”
The feathery foxtail plant, commonly found in the Western United States, is known to move “relentlessly forward, never back, they can migrate from inside your dogs’ nose to its brain. They can dig through skin or be inhaled into–and then perforate–a lung.”
Adding another post with an adorable photo of a bright-eyed King, partly shaved and stitched from his life-saving surgery, Cuoco writes, “He is doing so much better but as u can see he has tons of stitches from a super intense surgery … please be careful. Also please note these must be surgically removed. They do not heal on their own!”
The Flight Attendant star delivered another stern warning: “Take care of your pets or don’t have one! We are so grateful he is ok and will live a long happy life!”
Cuoco, who shares baby Matilda–born March 30, 2023– with partner Tom, also has another dog named Miss Opal, whom she adopted from Deity Animal Rescue in early 2023.
But, woven into the joys of her new arrivals was the heartbreak of losing of her beloved chihuahua Dump Truck, whom on May 30, was honored with a sweet message on Instagram.
“My sweetest Dump Truck, saying goodbye to you has deeply pierced my soul,” Cuoco wrote. “You were with me during some of the hardest moments I’ve had in my life. You brought endless joy to everyone that met you, and kissed my nose when I needed it most. You were as special as it gets and I’m so grateful we found each-other.”The post continued, “Please tell Norman I miss him every day and will cherish you both forever.”
Norman, her dog of 14 years died in 2021, and is the inspiration behind her film and TV company, Yes Norman Productions that co-produced her hit HBO show The Flight Attendant.
Cuoco also immortalized her pit bull mix with Oh Norman, a company launching in the fall of 2023 that creates “clean, well-made products that our best friends deserve because they deserve the world!”
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We are so thankful to learn that little King is recovering, and we hope he’s back to normal very soon! Kaley Cuoco is such an incredible talent with a beautiful soul, and we love her more for her advocacy and love of animals!
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