Dec 19, 2013

Audrey Hepburn – Severely Neglected Boxer

Matt Finney, one of our many generous financial donors to Audrey’s cause, meeting her for the first time. As luck would have it, while he was there, a couple saw her and adopted her.

Happy Tails Update: Miss Audrey was adopted on 2/6/13. Congratulations Audrey! We wish you a long, happy life!

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She didn’t know which to take first: food or water. She desperately needed both. She just stood there taking neither…

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This dog, who we are calling Audrey Hepburn, was said to be a stray, taken in for a few days. We would later learn she was in the care of the caller for at least a month. She was in a home with children and possibly four other dogs.Another case of neglect and starvation at a time that a layer of fat is so important on a single coated dog. In this case the dog did not even have a coat.

The Boxer has a contagious skin disorder called Sarcoptic Mange: contagious to dog and human. The condition is easily treated but takes time to heal. Cases as severe as Audrey Hepburn’s can take a month or more, while we usually have the contagious mange under control within two weeks.

Audrey’s case is accelerated by her serious starvation, making her whole system taxed. Dr. Jones from the Bollinger County Veterinary Service said Audrey is a stage 1 (the worst) of a possible 9 for body scale. I believe we were finally called to help this dog because her “caretaker” realized she was going to die.

The caller asked me if I could return the dog after “fixing” her. The caller is very poor and struggling, however, that is no excuse for not calling us sooner for help for this dog’s skin condition and, if she could not afford to, feed her, too. She will not be returned.

Please see her photo gallery below.

Audrey Hepburn - Severely Neglected Boxer in Bollinger County

Please consider donating towards the care of Audrey. We do not have room to isolate a dog in her condition. She is being boarded and cared for by the Bollinger County Veterinary Service and needs a month of isolation and TLC such as they are able to give. She will be spayed after her treatment is completed and up for adoption sometime in January.

If you are interested in her adoption call 573-722-3035. Audrey is believed age 18 mo to two years. Her condition is not genetic so she will be completely healed soon.

Donations are through PayPal. Thank you!!

Donors

	100.00 USD
Diane Taylor	100.00 USD
Matthew Finney	100.00 USD
Karsyn Connell-Domino Designs for Dogs	65.00 USD
Karsyn Connell-Domino Designs for Dogs	55.00 USD
Deb Stanley	50.00 USD
Suzanne Lohr	50.00 USD
Larry Wiseheart	20.00 USD
Trish	15.00 USD
Mark Adamson	15.00 USD
Susie Burton	10.00 USD
Total amount	580.00 USD
Target to reach	600.00 USD

We contacted the Sheriff’s office because the children in the home possibly need medical attention for the mange, and concern for the remaining dogs.

Note: Seldom do we contact the Sheriff’s Department or other animal cruelty investigators when we receive starved or injured dogs. However, in the case of this Boxer we have. The reason we generally don’t is because we don’t want the community to be afraid to call us for assistance. We are working hard to teach our community how to care for their pets. We want to partner with our county residents and help the people who help the strays: poor, comfortable or wealthy callers. We want to help with spay vouchers to eliminate the expense to care for unwanted pups and kittens.

We want to positively make changes without causing a barrier of fear or even hate towards us. Our volunteers work hard to make a difference for the people and pets in Bollinger County (with 17.3% poverty) and surrounding areas. However if you ask for help and you lie about the situation, if children are involved (as in this case with a contagious skin condition), if you don’t do right by your other animals, and if you continue to abuse or neglect – – – the authorities will be contacted.

ASK FOR HELP, and we will understand that times can be hard for you and help you in any way we possibly can. PLEASE call before it is too late or the situation too bad to turn around for your pets and livestock.

: When Audrey sits you can see her dried skin wrinkle like that of an elephant. Her spine is very visible in this photo as are her ribs. Who could have this dog in their possession and not know they are starving her or depriving her of deworming, helping to cause starvation? Who could not see that she required help to regain her coat?

: She is so thin that she developed a sore on her thighbone-left side, not unlike a bed sore. She sits directly on bone. Audrey is being boarded at the Bollinger County Veterinary Service and will be through Christmas or longer if donations help pay her bill, where it is warm and she can get plenty of special attention while her contagious condition is being treated and she is isolated. Note how her hip bones and spine stick out.

: What color do you think this dog is? This gal, who we have named Audrey Hepburn because of her extra long neck, is like a baby swan. Ugly to some, waiting for her cloak to grow back in all its glory to show us how beautiful and majestic she can be. She will be a model dog when she completes her journey back to health. She is a black Brindle. The red in her coat is so removed by Sarcoptic contagious mange that all you see is grayed black, scaly and filthy skin and a few black hairs.

: This side view clearly shows neglect, bringing to mind pictures of the Holocaust. See her veins pumping blood in her leg and on her body cavity, deprived of the water in her skin by severe dehydration.

: Every day her eyes are getting brighter. Her head held higher. Soon these pictures will only be a memory of another case of neglect in Bollinger County (that we learned about).

: She is wearing a shirt to keep her from itching herself due to the irritation of the contagious mange. In the short time we took her outside she caused this raw area to inflame on her chest. So, not only was she dehydrated, hungry, naked, but she is enduring a miserable skin irritation 24/7. We have applied a topical that kills fleas and mange. She is too starved and weak for lyme dype treatments.

: A memorable view of Audrey Hepburn. You can see how she is lack of muscle. Note the cakey skin on her head. This is from the build up of scabbing from the contagious mange.

: Note how narrow her loin area is. We have had several dogs as poor as her in our care this year. In the past 5 months 9 others (Henry, Vern Lee, Shar Pei mix, Beagle with end-of-life stage 3 HW that could not be saved, litter of 5 Rat Terrier babies) as poor as her and many more close but not that bad. The worst we had, which were without other medical conditions, was a litter of pups. One was covered in fly eggs, a yellow mass, and so close to death the vets said she probably would not make it...but she did and was just spayed this week 12/18/13! Just like with this gal, we gave a B-12 shots, iron shots, ProPlan Performance food, small meals several times a day, all the water they can drink, and in the case of the pups, they were rehydrated by IV.