Please Help Me

[hollydog]

Hello! We were driving home from picking up my sister from school yesterday, when we drove by the garbage dump and saw a little puppy laying in the road. We pulled in, to take a look, and the car in front of us almost hit the poor thing, barely turning just in time. We got out, and picked the little puppy up, it was whining, and shaking. We asked the owner of the dump if he knew who the puppy belonged to, and he just shook his head, and went back to work. (He was quite rude). We couldn't just leave him there, so we took it home. When we got him home, and gave him some water we got to take a look at him. He has flea bites all over him, and you can see his backbone and his haunches. We also think he has worms because despite the bones showing, he has this little pot belly. The poor thing has been outside for a LONG time. His flea bites look bad, and he's losing a little bit of hair around the areas where there are alot of bites, and you can tell he's just scratched it all off. He also has a couple of wounds which I've put antibiotic ointment on, after giving him a bath. Now I read somewhere that oatmeal helps to sooth itching, so I mixed some dry oatmeal with some gentle puppy shampoo, and gave him a little bath. He is eating and drinking, and we're going to try to get him to a vet soon. In the meantime, is there anything I can do for his skin? Would baby powder or something like that be good to stop itching? He seemed very lathargic yesterday, but after eating, drinking, and having his bath, he's much more energetic, and seems like a sweet little puppy. He's currently napping on my bed. How old do puppies have to be to start growing their teeth? I thought he was probably 4-5 weeks old at 1st, but then I saw that all his little puppy teeth are in, so maybe he's just a small breed? He looks very much like a beagle (or did to me at 1st) but my dad thinks he looks like a St. Bernard. :p (Biiiig stretch between a Bernie and a Beagle. :rolleyes:) I'm not sure what he is. I will get some pictures once I can upload them to photobucket. Thank you in advance for all your help. Oh, and I have a question. We were going to put signs up to see if he had an owner, but I'm wondering if we should. I mean he's definately been neglected. Even if he's only been lost for a short time, it took a long time for him to get in this shape. Please give your advice. We'll ask the vet as well when we can take him. Oh, and we're calling the little guy, Pete. :D

[Denaluvscorgis]

Hi...welcome to Chaz!! Pete sounds like a little cutie...I'm glad you found him and were able to help. Pete really needs to be seen by a vet immediately!!!! It is possible that the areas that you're decribing could be mange. Have you actually seen fleas??

I really would suugest getting Pete to the vet today!!!!

[hollydog]

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p139/laurenftw/HPIM5458.jpg
Here's a picture of him outside, before his bath (poor thing was so itchy). You can see on his neck some evidence of his constant scratching.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p139/laurenftw/HPIM5455.jpg
Here's one right before his bath, i tried brushing him a little.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p139/laurenftw/HPIM5481.jpg
Here's him after his bath. Little cutie. =P

I will try to get some pictures later of his whole body so you can see his haunches, and some of the areas where he's scratched himself up. He's sleeping right now, and I think he needs some rest. ;)

[Debi]

since he's so young, I doubt he is lost. I bet he was dumped. how heartbreaking, but how wonderful you saved him. I'm not sure I'd give him anything, I'd just get him to the vet. sure hope Pete is ok, keep us updated. ((HUGS)) to you for taking care of him!!!

[Debi]

OHHHHHHH, he is sooooooo sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hollydog]

Hi...welcome to Chaz!! Pete sounds like a little cutie...I'm glad you found him and were able to help. Pete really needs to be seen by a vet immediately!!!! It is possible that the areas that you're decribing could be mange. Have you actually seen fleas??

I really would suugest getting Pete to the vet today!!!!

Hi!! Thank you. :)

I don't think it's mange because we adopted a lab several years ago that had it, and we treated it with meds, and it didn't look like this (although I've heard there are more than one kind). And I have seen the fleas, there were tons of them. I managed to get most of them off, and the others i think went down the drain during his bath.

We are going to try to get him to a vet asap, but unfortunately I'm 15, and I don't have control over the situation. If I did, he would've been to the vet last night. I'm just glad he isn't still out there. :(

[hollydog]

since he's so young, I doubt he is lost. I bet he was dumped. how heartbreaking, but how wonderful you saved him. I'm not sure I'd give him anything, I'd just get him to the vet. sure hope Pete is ok, keep us updated. ((HUGS)) to you for taking care of him!!!
Thanks so much for your advice!!! Poor little guy. :( I don't know how someone could dump such a sweet face!!! Thank you for the advice, and I'll see what the vet tells me to do about his skin. ;)

[hollydog]

OHHHHHHH, he is sooooooo sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:D Oh, I know, his little face is darling! :p Thank you. :)

[hollydog]

If in fact, this was mange, is it contagious to other dogs? We've tried to keep him away from Holly, our Siberian Husky, in case he had any sort of disease like parvo or distemper, or something like that, but she did come in contact with him a few times. Should I have her checked out too?

[FoxyWench]

being hes so young i wouldnt try and self medicate, id get him in at the vets asap (i know its hard because of your age, but fleas are very difficult to get rid of and most flea shampoos and topical treatments are not suggested on very young puppies.) he also probably has a belly full of worms, which wont help him gain weight and over the counter medication for worms just never seem to work well.
For the itching a bath with an oatmeal or mint shampoo for puppies would help a little...

the vet should be able to tell you how old he is, plus give you some idea on the breed, to me he looks like a typical lovable mutt.

good luck, hes sure cute

[hollydog]

being hes so young i wouldnt try and self medicate, id get him in at the vets asap (i know its hard because of your age, but fleas are very difficult to get rid of and most flea shampoos and topical treatments are not suggested on very young puppies.) he also probably has a belly full of worms, which wont help him gain weight and over the counter medication for worms just never seem to work well.
For the itching a bath with an oatmeal or mint shampoo for puppies would help a little...

the vet should be able to tell you how old he is, plus give you some idea on the breed, to me he looks like a typical lovable mutt.

good luck, hes sure cute

Thank you very much!!! Hopefully the vet can sort everything out, and get him all healthy again!! :)

[Denaluvscorgis]

Pete is absolutely adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

Please keep us posted on how he is doing!!!

I also agree with Debi that he was probably dumped because someone didn't want him!! :( Are you going to be able to keep him, or will you find him another home??

Yes....mange is highly contagious and is also contagious to humans...it is referred to as scabies with humans.:yikes:

[hollydog]

Pete is absolutely adorable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:)

Please keep us posted on how he is doing!!!

I also agree with Debi that he was probably dumped because someone didn't want him!! =( Are you going to be able to keep him, or will you find him another home??

Yes....mange is highly contagious and is also contagious to humans...it is referred to as scabies with humans. =O


Thank you! I will definately keep you posted!!

Well, I have 3 dogs, 2 Yorkies and a Husky, so I don't know. My dad said absolutely not, and now he's kind of getting used to him. :p So I'm not sure. I'd love very much to keep him, but if not, I just want him in a good home. :) He deserves it after what he's been though. He'll make someone a great little dog. ;)

Oh no!!! We'll have to keep him away from the dogs just in case.
Scabies? Eep!!! I hope he doesn't have mange! We'll get some sort of test from the vet!

[bubbatd]

So glad you rescued this sweet pup !! I agree with all of the above . Let us know !!! It's hard to judge , but I'd say he's quite young . Can't tell without seeing his teeth though .

[hollydog]

So glad you rescued this sweet pup !! I agree with all of the above . Let us know !!! It's hard to judge , but I'd say he's quite young . Can't tell without seeing his teeth though .

Thank you! :) I will let you guys know how it turns out!! ;)

[Charliesmommy]

Holly - first, bless you for rescuing this little sweetie! His face looks a bit wrinkly and there are a few "wrinkly-faced" dogs. he could be part sharpei or part pug? Hard to tell right now but maybe the vet will have a better idea.

If you saw a lot of fleas on him, I would guess that is causing the skin problems, however, there are different types of mange so the vet may take a skin scraping to be sure. In the meantime, I don't know of much you can do to eash his itchiness.

You'll want to take a stool sample to the vet with you so they can check for worms. I would definitely keep him away from the other dogs until the vet check. Let us know what happens!

[Denaluvscorgis]

We'll have to keep our fingers crossed that it's not mange...it's most likely from fleas...poor baby!!!!:(
Thank you! I will definately keep you posted!!

Well, I have 3 dogs, 2 Yorkies and a Husky, so I don't know. My dad said absolutely not, and now he's kind of getting used to him. :p So I'm not sure. I'd love very much to keep him, but if not, I just want him in a good home. :) He deserves it after what he's been though. He'll make someone a great little dog. ;)

Oh no!!! We'll have to keep him away from the dogs just in case.
Scabies? Eep!!! I hope he doesn't have mange! We'll get some sort of test from the vet!

[hollydog]

Holly - first, bless you for rescuing this little sweetie! His face looks a bit wrinkly and there are a few "wrinkly-faced" dogs. he could be part sharpei or part pug? Hard to tell right now but maybe the vet will have a better idea.

If you saw a lot of fleas on him, I would guess that is causing the skin problems, however, there are different types of mange so the vet may take a skin scraping to be sure. In the meantime, I don't know of much you can do to eash his itchiness.

You'll want to take a stool sample to the vet with you so they can check for worms. I would definitely keep him away from the other dogs until the vet check. Let us know what happens!

Thank you. :) A bulldog did pop into my mind, but mostly because of his little muzzle. :p It's short, and wrinkly, plus his tail curls (although there are lots of curly tailed dogs).

I do hope it's just the fleas, but we will see what the vet has to say. Thank you!!!

I'll be sure to get a stool sample as well, thanks! ;)
And we won't allow him around the other dogs. I'd hate for them to get sick from this!!

Thanks again, and I'll keep you all updated!

[hollydog]

We'll have to keep our fingers crossed that it's not mange...it's most likely from fleas...poor baby!!!!:(


Thank you! :) And I agree, poor baby! :( He's such a sweetie!

[Fruit bat]

Awww he's to cute. I'm glad you guys came along when you did .

[Momof2Pups]

OMG. What a sweetheart! He is SO adorable. I just want to give him a big hug.
Enormous kudos for taking him in. I'm so glad you did, and I'm so glad you happened to find him. :)
Good luck with everything! I hope it's not mange, either.

Links on demodectic mange (http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1589&articleid=729) and sarcoptic mange (http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1589&articleid=764).

[hollydog]

Fuitbat: Thank you so am I!!! :)

Momof2pups: Thank you for those links, I'll check them out! And Thank you, he's a sweetie. ^__^

[hollydog]

Well my dad just came in, and told me that my mom found Pete's owner...
I quite worried though. Considering the shape he's in, i don't know if I want her to have him...she lives right near the dump, and I guess he just ran off. But he had to be outside to have run off, and he's in awful condition. She's obviously not taking care of him...I couldn't stand the thought of him being neglected. I'm in love with the little guy already. What do you guys suggest? My dad said either we give him back to the owner, or take him to shelter...:(

[hollydog]

Oh, and the owner told my mom he was a shar pei.

[Debi]

oh dear...the owner must not have looked very hard for him if she lives right next to the dump!!!!!!! guess there's not much you can do, especially if your parents want to give him back. maybe you could ask to 'visit' him once in awhile. that way you could check up on his care.

[Charliesmommy]

Does this "owner" have any proof of ownership?

[hollydog]

Okay, well here's the update. We're calling the SPCA. They're no-kill, and they're very good people, so I think they'd take care of him. Because I know that if we give him to the owner he won't be taken care of like he needs to. And there's no way we can have 4 dogs (although I wish so much we could keep the little guy!!!). Oh, and I got it wrong, someone told my mom they knew it was that person's dog, she didn't talk to the owner. So she doesn't know where the puppy is. Although I doubt she cares. Would you guys reccomend us telling her where the puppy is? They wouldn't release him to her, if they thought she wouldn't care for him, or thought she neglected him, right? That way mabye if she does care, and there were just some unseen circumstances she could still adopt him, and not be worried about him? I don't know. I'm trying to think of it like if it were me, and my puppy was lost, but if it were me, this puppy wouldn't have gotten in this shape in the 1st place. We were told she owns the mother, and she has other puppies...should we tell the SPCA about it? I mean, they could go out and check them out, and see if the other puppies are in the same shape, and possibly save their lives too, and the mother's. I just want Pete to be happy.

[hollydog]

oh dear...the owner must not have looked very hard for him if she lives right next to the dump!!!!!!! guess there's not much you can do, especially if your parents want to give him back. maybe you could ask to 'visit' him once in awhile. that way you could check up on his care.

Well, my parents just want what's best for the dog. And so my mom is calling the SPCA. I just don't think he'd get the care he needs if he went back to the "owner". She obviously let him get into this shape, and I doubt she cares enough to get him vet care.

[Charliesmommy]

I would tell the SPCA the complete story - the condition you found Pete in, etc, etc. They will likely investigate and, if there is a problem with the other pups, you may just save their lives. They will not just hand Pete back over to her without following up to make sure it is a safe home for him.

[hollydog]

Does this "owner" have any proof of ownership?

I'm not sure, I haven't talked to her directly.
All I know is that a lady in our community saw Pete, and one of his siblings with their mother at the dump yesterday, and their mother belongs to this woman. We haven't talked to the owner, only to someone who knows that pete lives at this lady's house.

[hollydog]

I would tell the SPCA the complete story - the condition you found Pete in, etc, etc. They will likely investigate and, if there is a problem with the other pups, you may just save their lives. They will not just hand Pete back over to her without following up to make sure it is a safe home for him.

Thank you so much!! I feel so much better about the situation now.
I hope so much that Pete and his family will find good homes, and that this lady, if in fact she is neglecting these dogs, will pay for what she's done. Pete is such a sweet little puppy, and him and his family don't deserve what they've gotten. Neither does any dog. I'm just glad I got to spend a little time with Pete, and get to know him. :) He's such a good dog, and will find a good home I'm sure. Do you think the SPCA will allow me to follow up on them, and possibly be in contact with whoever adopts Pete? I'd love to be able to know what happens to him in the end.

[hollydog]

http://www.spcatn.org/

Here's the website of the organization we're calling.
Hopefully they'll be able to take him, and investigate his family.
My mom's calling them at work, and she's going to call me back, and tell me what they say. :D I'll keep you updated!!!

[hollydog]

Okay, my mom called and got an answering machine, and she left a message saying that we found a young puppy in bad condition, etc. and gave our number, so hopefully they'll call soon. If they don't come pick him up, we're most likely going to drive there tomorrow (they're about 30-45 mintutes from us) and tell them the whole story, and tell them about the mom, and other puppies, and see what they can do about it. I also want to voulenteer at the spca, so I'm going to ask about that, and they just might let me help out with Pete!! :) Maybe I'll find out what home he goes to, etc! I'm so glad this is going to be a happy ending, even though we don't get to keep him!

[Maxy24]

I'm glad you took him in! Maybe you can ask the SPCA if you can foster him until he gets a home (if that's ok with your parents).

If he is Shar-pei he is definitely not pure. He kinda looks like Red's Caiza when he was a pup (backwards colors though) http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c78/erykah343/caizaagaincopy.jpg

These are a pure Shar Pei http://www.lasharpei.com/_borders/Fall_04_016.jpg
http://www.chineseshar-peiwyo.com/images/Black%20Pups%209wks%202.jpg

[hollydog]

I'm glad you took him in! Maybe you can ask the SPCA if you can foster him until he gets a home (if that's ok with your parents).

If he is Shar-pei he is definitely not pure. He kinda looks like Red's Caiza when he was a pup (backwards colors though) http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c78/erykah343/caizaagaincopy.jpg

These are a pure Shar Pei http://www.lasharpei.com/_borders/Fall_04_016.jpg
http://www.chineseshar-peiwyo.com/images/Black%20Pups%209wks%202.jpg


I would love so much to foster him, but unfortunately my parents wouldn't let me. :( When we build a house, I want to foster dogs though. :) Hopefully they'll let me see him if I end up voulenteering there. Maybe they'll let me walk him every day?

LOL! When my mom told me that they said he was shar pei, I looked at him, and said "uh-uh, no way" :P He has the wrinkles, and the tail that comes over the back, so he could definately be part Shar pei, but his coloring is all off. Maybe he's part ACD? Is that what Caiza is? The coloring looks right. (She's very pretty btw!)

Thanks again for all the help everyone! I'm very excited that Pete will be happy. :)

[Aussie Red]

I would love so much to foster him, but unfortunately my parents wouldn't let me. :( When we build a house, I want to foster dogs though. :) Hopefully they'll let me see him if I end up voulenteering there. Maybe they'll let me walk him every day?

LOL! When my mom told me that they said he was shar pei, I looked at him, and said "uh-uh, no way" :P He has the wrinkles, and the tail that comes over the back, so he could definately be part Shar pei, but his coloring is all off. Maybe he's part ACD? Is that what Caiza is? The coloring looks right. (She's very pretty btw!)

Thanks again for all the help everyone! I'm very excited that Pete will be happy. :)

I was thinking that I saw some ACD in him. Anyway it is too bad you can not keep him but I am glad you are not turning him back to an owner who is that neglectful. Let us know how this all turns out.

[hollydog]

Sorry, I haven't had the chance to get on for a few days.

Turns out the SPCA was full, and my parents said we couldn't keep him any longer because turns out, he did have mange, and we just couldn't risk our dogs catching it, and so we turned him over to Animal Control. They confirmed that it was mange, and said they'd treat it right away, and that he had a good chance of finding a new home. It was a hard decision to make, but our dogs have to be put first. I hope Pete will find a good home. Thanks for all the help you guys. :)

[squirtsmom]

Good luck wih everything, and don't give her back.