Last month, a group of vigilant neighbors in Missouri noticed a lone puppy with patchy skin wandering their street. They didn’t know who she belonged to, so they tried giving her food and water to hold her over until they located her family. But as days passed and her condition worsened, the neighbors lost faith that anyone would come for the pup — so they called Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) for help.
“They noticed her skin was increasingly getting worse, but they didn’t know what to do,” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “[H]er skin [felt] like fire.”
The SRSL team rushed to the neighborhood and soon located the mange-covered puppy on someone’s property. They scooped up the dog, later named Devonna, and were carrying her to their Jeep when they saw two more heads pop up in the same yard.
“They were living in an outdoor pool with fencing around it,” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “They popped up like, ‘WAIT! What about us?’ [They] had crusty, hot pink skin.”
The SRSL team couldn’t bear to leave the other two pups behind, so they talked to the homeowner and soon loaded all three nearly hairless dogs into the car. On the way to the shelter, Devonna sat in the front seat and showed signs of wanting to rest but being unable to because of her skin.
“She kept drifting off to sleep but would never lay down or let herself get comfortable,” SRSL wrote. “How can she, when she’s so uncomfortable in her skin?”
Watching Devonna struggle broke the SRSL’s team’s hearts. But they were confident, even with an extended treatment plan ahead of her, that Devonna had a strong chance of fully recovering.
At SRSL’s clinic, a veterinary team diagnosed Devonna and her two friends, Portia and Rowland, with demodex mange — a non-contagious skin condition. Sadly, Devonna’s mange was more advanced than Portia’s and Rowland’s, requiring a more extensive treatment plan.
“Devonna’s case is far more severe than the others, so she’ll have a longer healing journey,” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “But she’s already showing us so much bravery. It hurts us to look [at] her, but we know today is the first day of the rest of her life.”
After a week of consistent medicated baths, Devonna was finally deemed healthy enough to go into a medical foster home. There, she’d be able to receive the same treatment while also enjoying the comforts of living in a quiet house with a loving family.
On February 16, Devonna met her amazing foster mom and began the second phase of her treatment at home. With an extra dose of TLC and her trusted medicated baths, the team hoped to see Devonna’s hair grow back soon, just like Portia’s and Rowland’s.
“We love seeing her snuggled up, dreaming and healing,” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “Soon, she’ll have the shiniest, most beautiful fur coat.”
Just as they’d hoped, Devonna’s skin healed wonderfully, and her coat grew back shinier than ever. A month after going to her foster home, Devonna returned to the shelter for a regular check-up and stunned the staff with her progress.
“She came in for a check-up today, and she is unrecognizable!” SRSL wrote on Facebook. “Look at her beautiful coloring! Her white toes, her brindle face … those bright eyes! Ahh, this is an emotional moment …”
After such a heartbreaking rescue, the SRSL team was elated to see Devonna so healthy. It’s still unclear what Devonna’s past was like and why she became so sick in the first place, but seeing her survive and thrive brought the entire team immense joy.
It’s been a little over a month since Devonna’s rescue, and the resilient girl is finally ready for adoption. The SRSL team hopes to match her with the perfect family — one she’s always deserved and dreamed of.
“She would be successful in most homes, as she is so kind and gentle,” Natalie Thomson, SRSL’s chief communications officer, told The Dodo. “She loves other animals and all people.”
To inquire about adopting Devonna, you can contact Stray Rescue of St. Louis here.
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