So here is the picture of Maddie's new haircut! We always have to get her the puppy cut because she was born with Demodectic Mange also known as puppy mange, caused by the Demodex mite and keeping her groomed helps to control her symptoms.
Demodectic mange (also known as red mange, follicular mange, or puppy mange) is a skin disease, generally of young dogs, caused by the mite, Demodex canis. It may surprise you to know that demodectic mites of various species live on the bodies of virtually every adult dog and most human beings, without causing any harm or irritation. These small (0.25 mm) mites that look like microscopic alligators live inside of the hair follicles (i.e., the pore within the skin through which the hair shaft comes through), hence the name follicular mange. In humans, the mites usually are found in the skin, eyelids, and the creases of the nose. (Source: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2101&aid=729)
In normal dogs, these mites usually aren't a problem or the puppies outgrow the irritation to them. Maddie's immune system, however, was compromised as a puppy and she didn't have a strong enough system to fight them off. We have had Maddie for almost 8 years now and got her as a puppy. We had been looking to get another dog after our golden retriever had passed away and my husband came home one day from work and said that he had seen a sign saying that there were Shih Tzu puppies for sale near us. I had always thought the dogs were adorable, even though I was used to big dogs, but I was ready for a change. I wanted a dog I could hold and let sit on my lap and thought we would go take a look at the dogs for sale.
When we got to the address, the house was somewhat in disrepair. I had a bad feeling. We knocked on the door and immediately heard a bunch of dogs barking. A man came to the door and we told him we were interested in looking at the dogs and we had seen his sign. He let us into the house which was very small and overrun by about six dogs. Two big dogs and four Shih Tzus. I immediately saw Maddie, crouched under the man's small dinner table and hiding in the corner. Her mother, bless her, was barking at the man, trying to protect her baby as he yelled at them all to shut up. He never hit the dogs, but they all cowered when he yelled and you could tell he was not the most gentle man to them. I wish I could have taken them all home with me. This is what Maddie looked like when we got her.
She looks like a completely different dog, right?
She had seeping wounds and sores all over her little body. The hair around her eyes had matted to her eye and she was having trouble seeing, she still does because of the damage that was done when she was a puppy. The man told us that she had allergies and he had been rubbing her skin with cortisone cream and it seemed to help her. I had picked her up, not caring that I was getting her blood all over my clothes, the poor little girl needed comfort and she immediately snuggled into me for safety. I knew she was the one, even as damaged as she was, she was loving, sweet and gentle. I couldn't leave her in that place for one more second. The man was charging $80 dollars for this dog and while that was expensive and I didn't want to give him a dime, I wanted this dog out of that place. Sometimes when you meet another soul, you just know that you are meant to be together, you are meant to do anything in your power to help them. We paid him and took Maddie home with us.
Animal Control was called on the man because the other puppies were in the same condition as Maddie was. She was getting sicker as the days went by and we took her to the vet only to find out that it wasn't just an allergy, it was mites. She went through dips and medications for years. She would get so sick from the dips that I was afraid they were killing her. We finally told the vet that we didn't want to do them anymore so they tried medications instead. The vet finally told us that it was going to be a lifelong battle for her. She would never be able to have puppies as they would contract it from her. Finally, the medications seemed to be working for her.
Now, she is mostly in recovery, though about once or twice a year we have to take her back in to get more medication when she has a flare up. She still has trouble seeing and when she has a flare up, she scratches like mad. We have spent thousands of dollars on this little precious being with all of her medical problems and she has been worth every single cent of it. Madeline is the sweetest, most adorable little girl you will ever find and I hope she has many more years with us because she brightens my every day and I will be completely lost when she finally leaves this world.
Animals definitely have a soul, a personality and feelings. It is evidenced to me every day by the way she shows my family unconditional love and affection. Maddie was the piece of our family that we didn't know we were missing until we found her.