All three of us went to pull Maizie from the shelter today. Upon closer inspection it was apparent that she’d had a bad life so far. Her beautiful red markings were sun bleached, and her white hair was more of a dull yellow. The dead hair was falling off in small clumps, and her skin was full of dandruff and flea eggs. However, she sure had a nice bushy tail that never stopped moving! She’s very thin, even after being fed at the shelter for a few weeks. She has bare spots on the tips of her cute little prick ears. Barbara explained they are fly strikes. She was likely tied out in her former home, and the flies badgered her little ears raw. Her “earrings” should heal in time, though. Within seconds we saw why everyone has been fighting so hard to get this girl a home. Even though it’s obvious she looked like she wasn’t feeling her best, she was still perky and made sure we knew she was VERY happy to see us. She came over right away wanting nothing but to be loved on. She’s even polite, making sure to take turns going over to each one of us to say hello!
Barbara mentioned plenty of people have shown interest in her. Unfortunately on the outside she’s a mess; she’s not an “instantly perfect” dog and nobody has stepped up to take her on and get her cleaned up. It’s too bad. Those often turn out to be the best dogs, if you can only overlook the flaws on the outside. She has good foundations that you can’t buy--sweet and good natured--the physical part can be fixed. So, we took her home to shine her up.
Death from Distemper or heartworms is not quick, the suffering is immense. There is no cure for Distemper, and any treatment available is only meant to ease suffering or help the dog stay strong enough to attempt to fight the virus on it’s own. Distemper slowly destroys, the lymphoid organs, respiratory organs, gastrointestinal organs, and urogenital organs, one-by-one. Most dogs that die from distemper, die from neurological complications, many of which are horrific to witness: swelling of the brain, seizures, deterioration of mental and muscle function, paralysis, disabling muscle spasms, depression and an increased sensitivity to stimuli like pain or touch. Heartworms is as equally devastating. Read Livy’s story to understand why waiting to see if a dog gets heartworms to take action is not only expensive but very, very dangerous for the dog.
Ruby was very, very lucky to have survived and found a wonderful home to live out a healthy and happy life. Her illnesses were easily avoidable with simple and relatively inexpensive preventive measures. Sadly, heartworm prevention costs only about $7-$10 a month, and the DHLP-P vaccination, which protects against more than just Distemper, costs only about $8-$12 a year. The cost in your time to carry out this prevention is even less. We hope that Ruby’s story (below) and the suffering she had to endure will educate so that other dogs don't have to suffer or die from these preventable diseases.
Ruby was very, very lucky to have survived and found a wonderful home to live out a healthy and happy life. Her illnesses were easily avoidable with simple and relatively inexpensive preventive measures. Sadly, heartworm prevention costs only about $7-$10 a month, and the DHLP-P vaccination, which protects against more than just Distemper, costs only about $8-$12 a year. The cost in your time to carry out this prevention is even less. We hope that Ruby’s story (below) and the suffering she had to endure will educate so that other dogs don't have to suffer or die from these preventable diseases.
May 25: My German Shepherd
May 17: Olivia, Henrietta, Sunshine and Ruby
April 10: First Trip to the Beach
