Pets are not just like family, they are family. That’s why it was so heartbreaking when we first learned about Violet. Found abandoned in an empty home when her family packed up and moved away, Violet was suffering from a painful skin infection and nursing her litter of nine puppies. With no access to food or water, Violet was in desperate need of help.
Our Mobile Rescue Team answered the call from our shelter partner, Friends of Marshall Animals in Marshall, Texas, who first discovered Violet. She was painfully underweight, and her coat was very patchy. When she arrived at our Pet Health Centers she was diagnosed with Demodex, or Demodicosis, an infection caused by small mites that live in the base of the hair follicle. In times of stress or illness these mites can overgrow on the follicle, causing the hair to fall out. The skin can then become very itchy and enflamed. For Violet, it was likely the stress of abandonment and certainly not having enough nutrition to support pregnancy and lactation. Yet this brave girl continued to give all she could to continue to nurse her pups.
Violet was also diagnosed with secondary infections common to improper nutrition. Unfortunately, the treatment to help ease Violet’s pain is not good for her or her babies. “It becomes complicated when she’s nursing puppies and there are certain medications that we can and cannot use with lactating moms,” stated Dr. Gerard Laheney, Staff Veterinarian at our Pet Health Centers. “So, we want to try and wean her babies on a faster schedule than we normally would, so that way we can use more aggressive medications to treat her.” Until that time, Violet is being treated with medicated baths several times a week to keep the infection under control.
In another sad turn, one of Violet’s puppies has recently tested positive for canine parvovirus, a highly contagious disease that can be fatal if left untreated. To avoid the spread, the entire young family is now in isolation from the rest of our shelter community, under the watchful eye of our medical team. Treatment for parvovirus will include antibiotics and IV fluid therapy.
The ongoing treatment for Violet and her pups will take some time, and it will be even longer before they can be cleared for adoption. But as a new part of our family, Violet and her pups will get all the care they need until they are ready to find new families of their own.
