Written by Fiona Stewart, Founder of Pet Rescue
Professional photography by Framed Media
Unwanted pups – free to a good home. This was the post Pet Rescue came across on Facebook from a woman giving away five Sharpei-Jack Russell-cross puppies.
We felt the need to contact her and offer to help with their rehoming in a responsible manner. We were told that the pups were eight weeks old and she agreed to let us take them all into the shelter but that one had a skin condition.
The puppy looked terrible
On the 19th of February 2023, we went to collect the pups from Northmead Mall in Benoni. The four most beautiful pups were handed over… and then our sweet angel was passed over to us. The tiny tan-coloured puppy looked terrible, she smelt bad, her eyes were seeping and barely open, her mouth and lips were so swollen she wasn’t even able to keep them closed. Her back, front feet and head area had no hair whatsoever.
At first, we thought it might be mange, although it looked like burns. But her owners didn’t say anything about her being burnt – just that it had been like this for two weeks. Hope was brought back to Pet Rescue where she was put straight onto pain meds, antibiotics and eye drops until the next morning when she was seen by Dr Johan Van Eeden at the Crystal Park Vet.
She had been burnt
Dr Johan confirmed that it wasn’t mange and that she had indeed been burnt, although with what, he couldn’t identify. We were asked to continue on the course of meds we’d already started. Our job was cut out for us, but we knew we were going to do all we possibly could to save this little girl whom we’d named HOPE.
Our next stop was to get an amazing ointment from Dale Anton, of Purple Iris Core Healing, a lady who makes her own creams to help her skin stay moist and stop it cracking.
Within a week, Hope’s scabs were off and some of the swelling had gone down. She was taken for a second opinion to Dr Olivia Forner at North Rand Road Animal Hospital who was aware of Hope’s case as she follows Pet Rescue on Facebook. Dr Olivia was amazed at how well she’d healed.
Her advice was to take Hope to Onderstepoort Veterinary Academic Hospital (OVAH) to see a specialist and advise on reconstructive surgery.
Healing well
When we called OVAH to make an appointment, they advised that, because she was healing well, it would be best to first make sure she was fully vaccinated and then we could take her in and discuss her way forward. Hope has been to see their experts who advised that surgery would cause more pain and, as her lips are now dropping, they felt that it would improve as she grows. For now, we wait and see at six months how she looks and go from there.
Hope is really one very special girl who’s stolen the hearts of thousands of people who are following her story. Never once has she shown any kind of aggression towards my amazing daughter, Sammy, who’s done such an amazing job with medicating her; she’s bonded so well with her that she sleeps in bed with her – even when her face was healing she was allowed in her bed. Hope instinctively knows that everything we’re doing is to help her!
After a serious discussion with Sammy, and after all little Hope has endured, we’ve decided that she’ll be firmly staying on as part of our family.
About Pet Rescue East Rand
Established in 2012, Pet Rescue, located in Benoni, aims to assist pet owners in poorer communities in the surrounding region in order to combat neglect and suffering of these animals. Animals in need of new homes are rehabilitated and adopted out. For more information, visit Pet Rescue on Facebook @pet.rescue.eastrand.
