Our pets really do depend on their hoomans when it comes to keeping them clean and fresh.
Although they can do some grooming themselves, a good bath and some professional grooming does wonders, especially if they have long and soft fur.
However, when a dog isn’t regularly brushed, the long and luscious fur can tangle up and even become matted, leaving the dog very unhappy.
Unfortunately, Precious, the dog of today’s story, went through exactly that.
Mystery Dog
When somebody brought a matted ball of fur to Central Missouri Humane Society (CMHS), everybody was left confused as to what was hiding underneath.
The person who brought it in said that the dog was found hiding away in a small dog bed in a local supermarket parking lot.
The shelter workers started working on her immediately, determined to free the dog of all of that matted fur.
The matting, which was now home to flees, was so severe that it even prevented the dog from walking.
Road To Recovery
The shelter’s veterinary team decided to anesthetize the dog so that she wouldn’t feel any discomfort while the fur was being removed. The entire process took nearly 3 hours.
Apart from the severe matting, which even forced one of her eyes shut, she also had some extremely overgrown toenails to the extent that they were piercing through her paw pads.
After all the mating had been shaved off, she was given a well-deserved bath.
Precious finally looked like herself, but unfortunately, she was still unable to walk.
When she had her X-rays done, they confirmed that she had been in this condition for so long that her paws became completely deformed. It also showed that she had several broken bones.
The shelter consulted with the orthopedic department at the Missouri Vet Med and they did not bring good news.
They stated that there were no treatment options aside from symptomatic care to try to keep the dog comfortable.
But, the kind souls at the CMHS were not ready to give up on Precious yet!
New Life
As soon as they told her story, Precious found a loving foster home in no time.
Her foster parents made sure she was comfortable and they patiently worked with her so that she could regain some of her strength.
Her fur has started growing back nice and soft and she is able to sit up on her own.
Soon after, with all of that love and care, Precious found her forever home!
She finally got all of the love and attention she deserved, living her best new life!
Be Kind
Being so strong and brave, Precious also became the face of an incredible campaign called “Be Kind”!
She travels around the country, going to schools and colleges, telling everybody her story and making sure they know that they all have value. It’s OK to be different and that we need to Be Kind to all animals and each other!
