A dog found roaming the streets of Las Vegas with a bulky, matted coat and numerous health issues looks and feels like a completely different dog after some much-needed TLC.
Animal Angels Rescue Foundation (AARF) shared in a Facebook post on March 19 that someone in their community reached out to the nonprofit about a stray dog in need in the Las Vegas area. AARF responded to the report and found a dog with dirty fur and mats “so bad” that the rescue wasn’t sure if the dog “even had two eyes.”
In its post, AARF shared photos of how rescuers found the neglected dog and said the puppy’s physical condition was “one of the worst cases” the nonprofit had seen.
Because the dog’s fur was so matted and thick, AARF was unable to determine the dog’s gender when it picked up the puppy off the street. Because of this uncertainty, the dog was named Blythe. After AARF took the dog to a vet and after removing the matted coat, the rescue team determined that Blythe was male. The veterinarian also discovered several health problems.
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Blythe, a rescue dog shortly after he was found wandering the streets of Las Vegas.
Animal Angel Rescue Foundation
“He was severely dehydrated, and from eating rocks and stones and dirt, he chipped his teeth, so he has a lot of exposed nerves and roots,” Angel Animal Rescue Foundation member Reegan Tabor told KLAS-TV in Blythe.
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At the vet, Blythe was examined, given fluids to treat dehydration, medically shaved and bathed, and his nails trimmed. After receiving these initial treatments, Blythe looked like a new dog: clean, smiling and energetic.
“He felt better right away. After all, carrying all those heavy mats was tiring and they hurt,” AARF wrote in a Facebook post about the “sweet, very happy dog,” adding that the pet weighed 15 pounds and was believed to have about 2 years.
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Blythe the dog after visiting the vet and having his matted coat shaved off.
Animal Angel Rescue Foundation
However, Tabor told KLAS-TV that the poodle mix still has a long recovery ahead of it.
“He’s very itchy and has sores all over,” Tabor said of his case.
“In the last few months, he’s the third one I’ve seen in this situation, and it’s very unfortunate. The things we’ve seen[ are] absolutely heartbreaking,” she added.
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The next steps in Blythe’s recovery are spaying and extensive dental surgery, according to the latest AARF release. The puppy is also on antibiotics to treat an infection caused by trying to urinate through his matted fur.
“If he endures what he went through for who knows how long, it will be nothing to him,” Tabor told KLAS-TV about the procedures.
In a social media update on Blythe on Thursday, AARF shared new photos of the dog, with its short fur, looking happy as it played around the home of the adopter who took it in.
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Rescue dog Blythe smiles at her new adopter.
Animal Angel Rescue Foundation
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“We’re very proud of him and how he’s adjusting after everything he’s been through. The resilience of a dog!” the organization wrote. “He was a little scared and confused when he left the vet today, but after going to his foster home and meeting other dogs and kids, that smile on his face is permanent.”
The foundation noted that Blythe should be available for adoption “soon.”
To learn more about AARF and support the foundation’s work, visit the Rescue website.
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Source: HIS Education