Butler, GA......GYPSY was trapped by good samaritans that were trying to catch another dog they had seen that needed medical care. When they went back to check the trap, they were shocked to see the animal they had caught. She was in far worse shape than the original dog they had spotted. She was found in an abandoned burned down restaurant. She is so emaciated and sick that it is like she has become something totally different than a dog. It appears she has been on her own since she was a baby. She was either kept in a pen or has been running loose for a long time. Dogs usually do not last this long if they are running loose. The best guess we can come up with is that she is a golden/lab mix. Her skin has become so tough and infected from fighting off the demodex that it is going to be a long time before she gets fur back in those areas. We are hopeful that she will once we get her body to start responding to treatments. She is getting lots of small meals a day and lots of medical care and TLC. She has been on her own for so long that she is like a feral dog. She is scared of everything and everybody. The difference between her and a feral dog is that feral animals build up resistance to a lot of diseases that family pets get. She does not have the genetic make-up to fight off all the things she has which is why she is in such terrible shape. She is not aggressive at all, just scared. Every time we look into those big eyes of hers, we just want to wrap our arms around her and let her know that the worst is over and that she is safe now. She is slowly coming around but only time will take care of her fears now. She has a long way to go but that is okay with us because we will do everything we can to get her well. Once she is well, she will be re-socialized with our trainers so she can be adopted into a wonderful loving family.
Gypsy is doing great. She is still very cautious of people but is showing lots of improvement. She and Norman (one of our other rescues) have taking a liking to each other and they are now roommates. She will be with us for a long time while she recovers and will not be up for adoption until we feel she is ready to be placed in a loving home.
This sweet girl is slowly coming around but will be with us for a long time to heal her skin and her heart. We are very patient with dogs like this and give them all the time in the world to come around. We NEVER give up on them.
Gypsy is finally coming out of her shell and allowing people to pet her.
Gypsy is doing great and is starting to get out and play with other dogs. Gypsy has a million places where she can go but she loves this old plastic dog house. To her this is the best thing since canned dog food. Here she is in dog Heaven. Because she was feral for so long, she is not a good candidate to be inside all the time. She is the only dog we have that is allowed to stay outside. She feels trapped and cornered even if she has the entire house to run around in. We have had her for a long time and have come to embrace her gentle ways and what makes her feel calm and secure.
GYPSY is finally coming out of her shell. She can now be walked on a leash and loves being around people and other dogs. We are still using a wire leash we had to make because she would bite through a cloth leash in half a second. She is now ready for her new home. It has taken us almost 6 months to get her ready and she finally is.
In one week sweet GYPSY has broken with Demodex and has become resistant to the Ivermectin we use to treat her. She went from a beautiful healthy dog to being in critical condition and is in Intensive Care. Her Demodex came back and this time her immune system crashed and her body was taken over by the MRSA which is the most resistant staph infection you can get. Her skin also became infected with E-Coli which has added to the seriousness of her condition. I don't believe I have ever seen an animal crash as quickly as GYPSY has. Her feet began to break out with the Demodex and she was immediately taken to the vet. In the course of the next three days, we knew something terrible had gotten into her system. The Demodex on her legs spread quickly over her body and each bump became infected and started to bleed. Skin scrapes were sent out and we just got confirmation she has MRSA and E-Coli. We have changed her antibiotics twice and she is now on a new stronger one. Along with this, she is on a holistic protocol to build up her immune system so she can fight this. We are just heartsick over this. She has come so far and and to have this happen to her at this stage breaks our hearts a thousand times over. She cannot walk and is on IV's. She feels terrible and doesn't even want to raise her head. She is on morphine because the pain she has is debilitating. The next two weeks are critical for her. She has the same combination of infection that killed Docker. No matter what we did for sweet Docker, we could not get it under control. The medicines we need to help her are the same drugs that are used on humans with this condition. They are expensive and hard to get because the hospitals do not want to give them to the vets, even if they have the drugs. Right now, we have been able to acquire enough to get her though the next two weeks. GYPSY needs lots of prayers for her to be able to survive this. Read her story from the beginning and you will see what a long journey she has had to heal her body. Please, help us get the funds we need to do everything possible to save her.
Our sweet girl is still at the vet and will be for quite some time. Her MRSA levels are slowly going down but still there and her E-Coli levels are still high. Her spirits are great and she is eating all of her food along with all of her Holistic Protocol which is helping her a lot. We can tell that she is tired of being in the hospital but that is where she has to be as long as she still is infected.
GYPSY is over all of her MRSA and is doing great and ready for her new home. She is the sweetest dog and loves everyone. Our sweet girl loves hugs and kisses and will make the best family dog. She loves everyone and other dogs.
