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Molly-a story
of abuse, rehabilitation and triumph
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A family from one of
the wealthiest neighborhoods in South Florida neglected and then
abandoned Molly, a female standard poodle, who is one of the
many sad cases we see.
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03/09/2004 Before her scheduled euthanasia, Molly was rescued by
Animal Aid. She is emaciated and near starvation,
weighing about 25 pounds -- half her normal weight. The
veterinarian thinks she hasn't eaten in a month. Her eyes
were matted shut. Her teeth are decayed and she
has a serious eye and ear infection. She is one of the most
pitiful neglect cases we have seen.
Molly's fur was matted to the skin. The red spots on her front
legs are caused by her rubbing
her terribly infected eyes and ears.
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You can see her infected eyes and the sores that discolored
her mouth. She was covered in ticks that made her anemic
too. Her eyes are not open--- that is the infection oozing
out and discoloring the fur. She is not smiling, dental
infections have discolored her mouth.
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She needs expensive medication for her eye,
ear, and dental infections. Her foster parents report
she is improving, but needs around the clock care,
medication and proper nutrition to get healthy. Can you
find it in your heart to make a donation through PayPal?
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Here is Molly getting shaved. Since she was
so matted, the fur came off in one, huge pelt that
looked like another animal. She smelled horrible!
Tammy, the groomer, possessed special skills to handle such
thickly matted fur without burning or cutting Molly.
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Tammy's proud of her work! But that's just
the first step in getting Molly back in good health. You can clearly
see her ribs and how emaciated she is. When we first
gave her food she refused it, but is slowly starting to
eat more each day.
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Molly has trouble with her balance, because
her ears are so infected and she is so weak. Here she catches
herself before falling.
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Notice how Molly's hip bones and ribs stick
out into her skin. She needs a really cushy bed to
avoid skin injury. Luckily she's in a great foster
home and that cushy bed is King Size!
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Here is Molly with a dog of the same height and bone
structure. He weighs fifty pounds. If we can pay
for all of the medical treatment Molly needs, including
spaying, a dental cleaning and ear cleaning under sedation,
we expect her to make a full recovery and look just like
her foster brother, who was also a rescue.
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Molly is ridiculously intelligent.
During the first few days, she had a couple of
"accidents." She quickly learned where she was
supposed to go, and that she could get my attention quickly by
"knocking" on the patio door. (She also
"woofs"" to go out) She is taking full
advantage of her training of me. I have learned to fill
her food bowl when she knocks on it, fill her water bowl when
she knocks on it, give her a biscuit when she knocks on the
bucket, and open the door when she knocks.
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I don't think Molly had much
"inside living" before now, but she has warmed
up to it easily. Molly has even started to play
with toys! |
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03/20/2004 Since
Molly would not eat in the beginning, the vet feared she
might be "shutting down and giving up".
He didn't know Molly! Molly has been adapting
quite well to foster living, and has a real desire to
live. She is eating --- a lot! You can
already see the difference in just 10 days. |
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This is Molly's ear. You can see
the dramatic improvement over the picture above. Months
(or years) of neglect have caused a severe, painful
infection. This has caused Molly to shake her head
and scratch at her ears a lot, resulting in formation of a kind of "blood
blister". (See arrow) I hope to get Molly to
the vet tomorrow for evaluation concerning when she will
be ready for spay/dental, and what will be the next
course of action for ear treatment. |
03/22/2004 Molly went to the vet. An antifungal ointment
has been added to the antibiotic ear drops. She
developed a cough on Saturday, so she is on a new oral
antibiotic. (The doctor heard "moist lung sounds"--I
don't know what this means, but I don't like it.).
This needs to cleared up before she can be spayed. She
has gained 12 pounds since 03/09!!!! One ear is still
really sensitive, inhibiting close examination. When she
is spayed, they can take a better look and clean them out
really well. At this point I do think she is nearly
deaf. The vet estimates her age at 9 years, the same as
her standard poodle foster brother, pictured above.
UPDATE:
3/24/2004 Molly really played for the first time
today! My standard engaged her in a game of
"keep away". Molly chased him around and
around the backyard, running and barking.
UPDATE:
03/28/2004 Molly is
getting stronger and more playful every day, as these
pictures clearly show. Her ears are still
sensitive, but her cough has greatly improved. UPDATE:
04/04/2004 Molly went to
the vet this week. Her eye infection is
gone. Her ears are vastly improved---she can
hear something, but at this point, not much. I'm
not sure of the level or permanence of her
deafness. She now weighs 40 lbs!!! She
still has a bit of a "cold" so she is taking
Baytril, a different antibiotic. UPDATE:
04/12/2004 Molly's
cough is much better. She is acting more playful
and "poodle-y" all the time. She is
now wagging her tail frequently--something I did not
see at all for weeks. At this rate of
improvement, I hope to schedule her spay/dental for
next week.
UPDATE: 04/20/2004 Molly is scheduled
for her dental, spay and ear cleaning on Tuesday,
April 27. Say a prayer for her!
UPDATE: 04/28/2004 Molly was
spayed and had her teeth cleaned. No teeth
needed to be removed----yeah! The vet's age
estimate is now 5 years. Molly now weighs 45.9
lbs!!!!
UPDATE: 05/03/2004 Molly rarely
coughs and is doing great post-op. I will post
an updated pic of her soon.
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Here are a couple of pics taken on May
6, 2004. Look how much bigger Molly is! She
is approaching 50 lbs!! The raised fur on her
lower back isn't a hipbone sticking out like before, but
a tuft of fur that is growing faster than other
places. Molly is promised!! She will be
adopted tomorrow night!!
HERE WE GO.........
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Molly was adopted by a wonderful couple in
South Florida. Here she is, freshly groomed, hanging out
in her backyard with her new brother, Nikko!
How is this for an "after"?
UPDATE: December 2004...Many
thanks to
"M" & "J", Molly's adoptive parents,
who have given her such an incredible life. Although
completely deaf, through the use of hand signals and a
vibrating collar, Molly has learned "Come",
"Sit", "Down" and other commands. Who would
think that a dog, who 10 month's ago was at death's door,
would have come this far??!!
Once
again, there were many who said Molly should have been euthanized when we first got her.
One of our reasons for being a "no-kill" shelter is
that we feel that every animal, no matter in what shape they
come to us, deserves the possibility that the rest of their
life can be spent with love and comfort. We cannot
deprive them of this opportunity.
Thank you for letting us share Molly's story. Please consider
a donation of any amount to help other pets with a sad
beginning like Molly.
Make
donations with PayPal
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Animal Aid, Inc.
Lyons Plaza
1463 Lyons Road
Coconut Creek, FL 33063
Hours: Mon - Sat 1 - 5 pm and also by appointment
Tel: 954.984.8349
Fax: 954.984.8354
E-mail Tamerac@aol.com
A
501(c)(3) all volunteer non-profit group All monies raised go directly toward helping homeless animals.
Copyright © 1999-2004 All Rights Reserved
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