Days 2/3 "Mom, the sad dog is outside", says my 7 yr old neighbor

Days 2 and 3 were pretty much filled with the same activities: eating and sleeping.

Puppy is getting three small meals a day and she eats like there won't be food anymore. Nevertheless, she lets me put my hand in the bowl, stick my hands in her mouth, and take the bowl away while she is eating. So far, no food possession issues from this skinny minny.

When Puppy isn't eating, she is sleeping. I realized that she no longer wants to sleep with the panda. While I was sitting on the couch, she came over, sat on the ground near me, look up at me with her crusty, boogery eyes, and wagged her tail. Ugh, how could I resist.

So, I took two of the clean towels and covered the couch (and me). This is necessary because every time she moves her face, she gets crusty blood everywhere.

We had some snuggle time, of which I think she was appreciative. I am betting she wasn't shown this kind of love at her previous home. She is a good snuggler, except the blood crusties and disgusting mange smell (which you become accustomed to after a little while).

Now she tries to go onto the couch all the time, but she is only allowed up when she is invited. I showed her the "dog chair" and helped her get up there. Hopefully, she will learn that is the place to go unless invited onto the couch.

A 4 month old puppy should be much more active but because of her condition, she is exhausted and has no energy to actually be a puppy. Once her little body doesn't have to work so hard to help itself get healthy, she will be a silly puppy in no time =)

Some medical news: She still has intestinal worms, even after being dewormed at the shelter 3 days ago. They should have all been dead by now, but they are still alive. I'm not delving further into this. Just know that she is getting dewormed again tomorrow. Hopefully, the nutrients in the food will begin going to her instead of the worms. She is just a skeleton; it is quite sad watching her walk around with absolutely no muscle mass.

Day 1: Mange Puppy Comes Home

July 26, 2011.

I was walking through the lobby of the shelter where I volunteer (ACCT, Philly's only public intake shelter which takes in over 33,000 animals a year) and saw a pathetic looking thing sitting in a towel on a chair. The more pathetic they look, the harder it is to walk away. So, naturally, I stopped. Her paws are swollen from infection. Her nails are white from malnourishment. Her eyes are wide open because she is a cutie.

I talked with "Chloe's" owner, a young man and he said he brought her to a vet (on two different occasions after it didn't get better) and was able to describe what the meds looked like but didn't remember the names. He has two other dogs, he said neither of which have mange. He was slightly open to the offer for free spay surgeries for his two other resident dogs. Not sure why she is so skinny, although the owner seemed like he genuinely cared and said "I didn't know what else to do for her". So while he never should have let it get this far, I think it is, in this case, a lack of education about pet care/needs, rather than a case of deliberate animal cruelty. PS. The shelter is following up with him.

I stood by like an anxious mother waiting/hoping/fingers crossing that her skin scrape came back positive for Demodex mange (known, in the shelter world, as the "good kind") and not Sarcoptic mange (the kind that is contagious to other animals and people). I stood. I paced. I watched 4 other dogs be checked in that came in as strays. Every time the office door opened, I was hopeful it would be D with the results. FINALLY D came out and gave a thumbs up. It was the "good kind". I could take her home. 

D gave me a medicated shampoo for her and it was off to the the bath room. She was not overjoyed about being bathed but I imagine the cool water felt good on her hot, infected body. If you have ever fostered a mange puppy before, you know the first bath is usually the worst. They come out bleeding everywhere because all of the scabs that were washed off. Mange Puppy (whom I wanted to call Jellybean, but now I'm not sure) happily stood while I dried her off, the towel probably relieving the itch caused by mange. This is a picture of puppy after her bath. 

After "borrowing" lots of dye-free linens for her, waiting for her meds to be filled (she is taking LOTS of medications), and carrying her out to my car, I drove to the back of the parking lot where J was giving me free, donated dog food for foster parents and low-income residents. She made sure to give me food of the highest quality to ensure that this pup was getting THE BEST THERE WAS. No more crappy life for this little girl =)

She slept on the ride home and then we hung out in the backyard with my dog, Maya. Puppy flopped her inflamed paws around and tried to chase a tennis ball. Then she just sat, looked at me, and wagged her tail. You can see in this picture how excruciatingly underweight she is.

Puppy ate her dinner (Petra, you'll notice that is your dog bowl you gave me when I took Fuller and never gave you back), got her meds, and then I placed her on the dog bed for a nap…likely the first time this dog had been on a dog bed engulfed by a stuffed panda bear. After scratching (or itching?) her face, shaking, getting blood everywhere, she fell asleep, puppy twitches and sleep-barking included. 

After another bathroom break, she quietly went into her crate for bedtime. She has yet to bark. Fingers crossed it stays this way.

Although I know fostering older dogs is much easier than puppies, there is something so special about watching the transformation of a mange dog into a healthy dog. I hope to share this transformation with you. Enjoy.