Her pitiful state shocked even the most experienced of us. We often think that we have “seen it all” until a worse case is presented. Hope's rehabilitation wouldn't be easy as her condition was severe. She was malnourished and was suffering from advanced demodectic mange with secondary infection. Her legs and paws were swollen to such a degree that she could hardly stand. Large, pus filled sores were present all over her body, especially on her legs and paws. The “blue bottle” flies were attracted to the sores and honed in, laying their eggs in the wounds which would soon be filled with maggots. We could not see the expression in her eyes, as the thick layer of dead skin covering her head had also enveloped her eyes. But, her body language said it all! She was extremely depressed and at four months of age had had enough of life.
Our vet examined her and even she was deeply shocked, exclaiming that, in all her years of veterinary experience, she had never seen a dog in such an appalling condition. An intensive treatment programme was started for Hope, which included heavy anti-biotics and we approached Royal Canin for a donation of Prescription food to aid in her recovery. Royal Canin were most generous and donated eight cases of Recovery tins and bags of Skin Support pellets.
Hope could not stay at the kennels. She needed a quiet environment, where she could begin her road to recovery in peace and solitude, a place where she would be carefully monitored, medicated and receive much “TLC”, and was therefore placed in a foster home. Our slogan says “We turn tears of sadness to tears of joy” and so began our journey of rehabilitation with Hope, to restore her well-being and dignity.
For the first few days, there was not much response from Hope, her exhaustion and depression clearly evident. She lay in her warm, comfortable basket and just slept and slept, rising occasionally to eat some of the Royal Canin food. The first signs that she might respond came days later, when she began whimpering whenever I looked in on her. Those sounds were music to my ears; she was communicating with me. From that day on, whenever I entered her room, she would get out of her basket and painfully hobble towards me. Her paws and legs were still swollen and the gaping sores still looked terrible, but, day by day I saw an improvement in her physical and emotional condition.
At one point, in the early days of her recovery, I became extremely concerned, as the deep sores in the pads of her paws seemed to be worsening. After examination by our vet, her paws and legs were bandaged for two weeks to assist in the healing process and this made such a difference.
After having been at my home for a few weeks, Hope decided that she would like to explore her surroundings and ventured outside. I would often find her lying outside, soaking up the sun and beginning to enjoy life. How heartwarming! Given her shocking condition when we rescued her, her recovery was amazingly swift and within six weeks she was ready to return to our shelter to be put up for adoption.
Our grateful thanks are extended to Royal Canin, whose excellent products clearly aided our dear Hope in her recovery. She is now a bouncy, happy, six month old puppy and a far cry from the pathetic, depressed soul delivered to us on Good Friday.
The best news of all, which makes our sometimes difficult task so worthwhile, is that Hope was adopted yesterday, just two months after coming to TEARS. She can now enjoy her life with a wonderful family who will love her and give her all the attention she needs.
