How to Rescue a Dog With Mange Without Going Broke or Crazy

I had been an observer in the life of a neighborhood puppy, who developed from a sweet and seemingly neglected teen-age dog to a deathly ill casualty of indifference. As I watched her become painfully and critically ill, I knew that I could no longer stand idly by.

Shortly before Thanksgiving, I took in a neighborhood dog with a very bad case of mange. This was the non-contagious form - demodectic mange - which, according to my vet, affects younger dogs whose immune system are not yet fully functioning. Bella Lucy was just 9 months old when this skin condition went from a minor annoyance to a life-threatening destroyer.

It did not take any special skills (apart from some very good vet care) to rehabilitate her. The things that helped her were not spectacular or particularly expensive. But her spectacular recovery showed me that it is possible to make a difference in an animal’s life without going crazy in the process.

Although I started taking pictures of her right away, it was imposible to show the true extent of her condition.Wherever I touched her, a strip of skin would tear off and bleed. Most of the bleeding on her back is covered up by fur. Her belly, legs and feet were much worse than can be seen on her front. The skin on her inner legs and stomach looked like a stretched fishnet stocking, with the muscle tissue and blood supply showing through. In her second week pictures, the bare spots show where the raw skin is being replaced with new. Here are some photos of her progress.

DAY ZERO - WEEK ONE

 WEEK TWO

WEEK FOUR

The last picture is actually two days post-spay and she is doing well. So the solution seemed to be the mange dips and an upgrade to better dog food and get her on puppy food rather than adult dog food.(she was eating Gravy Train when she beacome ill). She is still on a high protien diet with extra salmon or tuna and brown rice but will gradually be cut back to a quality brand dog food for healthy coat and food sensitivities like California Naturals Lamb and Rice, or Nutro.

Financially, this may have not been the smartest thing to undertake, but it was doable. I shopped the markets for her foods on sale, and I wouldn't discount dumpster diving in a pinch; and a great vet helped. Improving her diet helped a lot: She got brocolli, carrots and sweet potatoes ( we have a used vegetable market where I can get bulk veggies fairly cheap), fish oil, no processed foods, brewer's yeast, and eggs for extra protien, along with puppy food and the things already mentioned. It may not have been the smartest move financially, but emotionally, it was worth every penny. To see the light come back into her eyes. A bella light. A Bella Lucy.

For more on Bella Lucy, please see my blog, Dogs Up The Wazoo!. Thanks for reading!