Dog was in ‘worst condition I have ever seen’
By Sarah Curran
THE owner of a local animal rescue hopes to give an abandoned dog a ‘Chance’ after being left in one of the worst conditions he has ever seen.
At just seven months-old, Staffie-mix Chance, as she is now known, was left off at a veterinary practice in Fermanagh to be euthanised.
Chance arrived at the practice covered in a contagious skin disease, known as mange, which was affecting her liver, as well as suffering from severe dehydration.
In a desperate attempt to give the young pup a chance of a better life, the practice phoned around a number of Northern Ireland rescue centres in search of someone who could help give her a place to recover.
Unsuccessful in their venture, the practice made contact with Lost Paws NI – Lost and Found Pets, who were able to contact Glenn Ford, manager of The Barn Animal Rescue, based in Carrowdore.
Having seen a video of the sorry state Chance was in, Glenn arranged for her to come to their shelter on Thursday evening.
“Personally, I have never seen a dog in as bad a condition since I was in China, back in 2019 when we were there rescuing dogs,” Glenn said.
Glenn messaged the vets at Rathgael Veterinary Clinic in Bangor who agreed to check her out the very next morning.
“We took her in first thing in the morning and really that’s when treatment started,” Glenn continued.
“They treated her for dehydration and a skin condition called Demodox, which is a version of mange, and her liver was in failure with the level of infection in her skin.”
Glenn said thankfully Chance had a successful weekend of treatment of fluids and antibiotics, and that the vet had told him she was ‘improving’, but was ‘not out of the woods’ just yet.
“It is going to be a long journey, particularly with the skin condition, that takes a long time to sort out,” Glenn said, noting that she would require a weekly bath with a special solution once her skin clears.
“Really she has it all in front of her for a full recovery. Of course the problem is, if she does recover from this, the mange she has can manifest again if she gets stressed or ill. So it will need to be managed for the rest of her life basically.”
While Glenn isn’t sure of Chance’s background, he believes she has lived with the condition since the day she was born and it has only gotten worse due to neglect, noting that her case of mange was so bad she was leaking fluid through her skin and bleeding.
With veterinary bills racking up, Glenn said he was overwhelmed with support after sharing Chance’s story on social media, with supporters donating to their website.
Chance is being treated at the vets with various medications, with an overall bill likely to reach around £8,000 at discharge.
He thanked all those who had supported them so far, paying tribute to That Prize Guy, who donated £2,000 to Chance’s recovery, as well as local businesses who pledged to help fund her rescue.
Glenn said: “We are totally overwhelmed and want to thank everyone for their help and thoughts. It is lovely to see there are people out there who care for animals.”
Glenn noted how it was always upsetting to see a dog coming into the rescue, especially when they are as ill as Chance.
He said: “To see a dog like this that is so young, you just think why? If you don’t want the dog contact a rescue or do something. Don’t leave it to get in such a state where it is in pain and suffering. There is no need for it.”
Glenn stressed that people struggling were welcome to contact the rescue, noting how they gave out dog feed if people needed it and pointing out that food banks were also available.
While Chance is not ready for adoption just yet, Glenn is hopeful she will find her forever home just in time to cosy up to a warm fire for Christmas.
To find out more about donating to help Chance’s recovery, or to donate to the rescue centre, visit: https://thebarnanimalrescue.co.uk/about/ways-to-help/
