A dog that was suffering from a horrific skin condition that had left her virtually bald, has made a staggering recovery in RSPCA care and is now looking for a new home.
Today, dog Ivy looks the picture of health, and spends her days bouncing around RSPCA Millbrook Animal Centre in Chobham, Surrey. But just two months ago, Ivy’s life was completely different.
She was discovered on 16 October by a local dog warden in Montrose Avenue in Edgeware, London. Thought to be a stray, Ivy’s red raw skin (pictured below) concerned the dog warden so much, he handed her straight to RSPCA Harmsworth Animal Hospital for immediate treatment for mange.
Liz Wood, deputy manager at RSPCA Millbrook Animal Centre said: “Ivy is a really affectionate, lively girl who is full of beans, and we are so pleased with how well she has recovered and her beautiful coat that has come through so quickly. She was in such a bad way when she was found, we weren’t even sure what breed she was, but now we think she may be a Samoyed.
“I’m pleased to say Ivy is ready to find a new home. She needs an active home as she’s very bouncy, and though she is very keen to please, she will need someone who can carry on with her training. Ivy’s good with other dogs but we feel that because she is so lively, she’d only be suitable to be rehomed with older children. Whoever rehomes her will be a lucky person – she’s a special dog who has been through quite an ordeal, but has a lot of love to give.”
Ivy’s discovery back in October came within days of the RSPCA’s launch of the ‘Love Animals, Hate Cruelty’ campaign, which aims to bring these issues to the attention of our animal-loving nation and remind people that amongst the celebrations in the build up to the festive season, a huge number of calls are being made to report neglect.
Liz added: “Ivy is sadly one of many neglected animals that our inspectors rescue every single day, and we expect this winter to be yet another tough one with a huge number of calls to our national emergency line about neglect.”
From animals left without shelter or adequate food and water, to those left with painful untreated injuries or illness, statistics show that from October 2015 to January 2016, 45,176 calls were made to the RSPCA about animals suffering due to neglect.
This works out at one call every four minutes about neglect to animals in winter, not to mention the huge number of other calls the charity receives on top of this relating to other issues like abandonment and deliberate acts of cruelty.
To help the RSPCA to continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming animals in desperate need of care, and to support the winter Love Animals, Hate Cruelty campaign, please visit:
www.rspca.org.uk/lovehate2016 or text LOVE to 66880 to donate £3.