Dog named Kush found alive next to dead Ohio tornado victim

AMELIA, Ohio - When emergency workers found Carol Forste's body in Ohio after Friday’s tornado, they also came across one of her dearest possessions, her dog, still at her side.

The storm that killed his owner and best friend spared the dog's life, even as it crushed his spirit.

Kush, Forste's pit bull survived Friday's storm. Doctors at All Creatures Animal Hospital in Amelia, say it will take weeks for Kush to truly heal.

One look into his eyes and you can see he is still shocked and traumatized from Friday's tornado.

  "Kush would not leave her deceased body's side...stood right next to her until they discovered her," said Dr. Dan Meakin, Kush's doctor.

Carol's death took an emotional toll on Kush. For days, he would not eat or drink.

"Something like that really puts the fear into them, so it sometimes takes them a couple of days to they feel like eating again, but Kush is starting to take food with hand feeding," Dr. Meakin explained.

At first, doctor's feared the worst, that he would have to be put to sleep.

"He's ripped his ligaments which connect the lower bone the femur to the tibia and he's broken it," Dr. Meakin said.

The dog will have to undergo an $1,800 surgery but doctors say he will survive. They are trying to make it so that the family won't have to pay much, because the Forstes lost most of their valuables in the storm.

In the meantime, they are focused on Kush's recovery, which may take weeks.

"Kush is going to be fine, he's probably going to mourn the loss of Carol for 30 days or so," stressed Dr. Meakin.

Kushwill undergo surgery Wednesday.

Funeral services for Carol Forste are Thursday.