A rescue friendly woman who is a client of a local vet clinic came upon two men dumping these two into the woods not far from Kansas City Animal Control. When she asked them what they were doing they tried to say that they had just found them and were not sure what to do with them. She took one look at these two babies and clearly knew something was very wrong with them, and that they needed to see a vet ASAP. She had the men put them in her car and she took them straight to the vet.
MPR was contacted, as both of the dogs appear to be pit bulls or pit mixes. At this point in time, having not seen them ourselves and relying on reports from the personnel at the vet clinic we were hesitant to take them into our program as we already have some high needs medical dogs in the program and were unsure we could take in two more. That, compounded by they fact that these two are in very bad condition, it will take months of rehab and they would have to go into a foster home right away. So they stayed at the vets that night.
During the course of the next day several MPR volunteers had the chance to meet Lenny and Peaches and it became obvious that we would figure out a way to help these poor creatures. Even with no hair, scabs, open wounds and rotting skin they were the most adorable dogs we'd ever seen and they immediately had our hearts. One of the vet techs at the Vet Clinic volunteered to take these two into her home and nurse them back to health.
They have been diagnosed with a very severe case of Demodex - a form of mange. Every dog naturally has mites on its skin. In a normal dog when it becomes stressed out the mites will attack the skin - but the dog is able to naturally combat this. In a dog that is genetically predisposed to demodex they lack the natural ability to combat the mites. Therefore, the mites attack when they are stressed causing pain and discomfort, which in turn causes more stress and the mites multiply again and the cycle continues. This is a genetic problem and is passed from mother to puppy. This is what happens when backyard breeders breed dogs with no knowledge of their medical history. This can also happen when dogs that have demodex are not spayed or neutered and randomly mate with each other. This condition is not specific to the APBT but to ALL breeds. Usually it can be treated successfully if caught early enough.
These two dogs have been severely neglected and their condition has been left untreated. They will be receiving many medications as well as food supplements and medicated baths to make their skin well again. Right now they have no hair (except for a little fuzz and some pieces on their tails). They feel like hot sand paper when you touch them. They constantly want to scratch their skin and when they do they break it open causing wounds and scabbing, which causes them to itch more.
The amazing thing is that Peaches doesn't even seem to know how sick she is. She runs and plays and wants to give kisses all the time. Lenny being a few months younger than Peaches, seems to be taking it harder. He prefers to snuggle in your lap and just be held.
|
UPDATE: 6/06/06 -
Hi everyone,
Well, I have had the mangy pups for two days now. So far it's challenging but good. Their names are Lenny and Peaches. Lenny is named after Lenny Kravits. Plus Lenny sounds like an older man name and he looks like a little old man. Peaches got her name because of the little bit of peach fuzz that she has on her back. Marianne thought of that one. Both names seem to fit them well.
They have been introduced to all of my dogs and things are going great.
I have made some observations such as, I don't think these guys were outside dogs. Maybe more like left in a basement or a kennel. They do not potty in their kennels, but they are not house trained. It's hard to get them to go outside and go potty. The grass seems to be foreign to them. Lenny is real good about urinating right away when he gets outside and Peaches is getting better.
I've decided to let my dogs show them how to be dogs. Atreyu is really good and tolerant of them. They stole his sleeping space last night as you can see in the pics. I think they need some direction from other dogs. They don't play with each other and Peaches really needs to play. She will chase balls but doesn't know what to do with them when she gets them. She won't pick up toys with her mouth either.
I want to thank Amy W. and Weimaraner rescue for some of the supplements that they have provided as well as advise on how to treat mange.
I will need help with their baths sometimes. Peaches needs 3 people to hold her. Lenny is real good. I'm still working on organizing my house for them, because most of you know my house is under complete construction and things are an absolute disaster around here.
Anyway, organization will come with time. Today is my day off so I will be working around here all day.
I'm going to keep a scrapbook on these guys and send progress reports to everyone.
BTW-My neighbor has fallen in love with Lenny. He sat in his lap for about 1/2 hour the other day. He wants him bad. They are really good pet owners. I'm very lucky to have the neighborhood that I have. Everyone loves dogs and everyone is supportive of these guys. Have a good day.
Jen
UPDATE: 6/07/06 - Peaches and Lenny - "TheKansasCityChannel.com - News - Pit Bulls With Mange Found Dumped In Ditch": http://www.thekansascitychannel.com/news/9333663/detail.html
UPDATE: 6/08/06 - MPR is happy to report that "Peaches & Lenny" are now in our program and fostered by one of our volunteers [Jennifer, featured in the news who is also a vet tech :-)].
UPDATE: 6/20/06 - They are finally on their way to being very healthy. Both are putting on weight. Peaches is at her weight capacity. Lenny is almost there. He is such a little guy. He weighs about 20lbs and she weighs about 40lbs. Their scabs are almost completely gone and they are getting hair. Lenny is so far all orange. Peaches is orange and white. I need to crack down on the obedience training. Now that they are feeling well, they are rowdy. Peaches is more of a handful then Lenny. She is basically a spaz.
Jennifer
UPDATE: 6/27/06 - Wow! What a difference a week makes! Jennifer is doing a great job!
UPDATE: 7/04/06 - These two amaze me everyday. I forget how bad they looked sometimes and I'm amazed at how good they look now. I never thought this would be so easy. They are both just as sweet as they come. They get along with everyone and everything.
Jennifer
UPDATE: 7/18/06 - Some people have asked for updated pics of Lenny and Peaches. The Boxer in the picture belongs to a part time vet clinic employee. His name is Dugan. Lenny, Peaches and Atreyu had a sleep over one night with Dugan.
I did have to throw an old pic in there of what they used to look like because it amazes me still. Enjoy.
Jen
|
If you would like to help us help these two sweetheart's, please send donations at the address below or by paypal. If you send us an email to let us know you are helping Peaches & Lenny, we will add your name (or the name of your company) to the list of benefactors.
|
MPR IS A 501C3 NON-PROFIT ORG.
ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE
|
MISSOURI PIT BULL RESCUE
P.O. Box 520043
Independence, MO 64052 |
Peaches & Lenny sends a big thank you and tons of slobbery kisses to everyone who is helping!!
|
We will do everything we can to save their lives but these sweethearts are not out of the woods yet. At least we're trying ...
Please send positive thoughts for the successful healing of Peaches and Lenny.
|
|
