Rescue Tails / Penelope

With her overgrown paws, block head, bow legs and wrinkles, Penelope would make an adorable, odd-shaped puppy. It was, however, impossible to look past her bald, red, raw, scabby, oozing skin. At just six months of age, Penelope, according to her owner, had developed mange, a common, treatable microscopic parasite that typically affects young, old, or immunocompromised dogs. Mange is very common, and easily cured with antiparasitic medications such as Ivermectin. If caught early, and treated as instructed by a veterinarian, the affected animal generally recovers quickly.

That was, unfortunately, not the case with Penelope. Her owner had tried several home remedies to cure the mange, including topical powders and chemicals, which only exacerbated the situation. Now, her problems were far beyond her owner’s ability to care for her, and out of desperation for help, he signed her over to our Marathon campus.

Penelope’s skin was scraped for mites, and it was confirmed she had Demodex mange. She was taken to a local veterinarian who prescribed a multi-course treatment of antibiotics, medicated baths, steroids, antifungals and antiparasitics. Although now on the road to recovery, so much damage was done that now, two months later, Penelope still requires daily treatments and biweekly veterinary visits to manage her multiple skin conditions. Through it all, Penelope is the happiest, wiggliest puppy each and every day.

To help support Penelope while she’s in treatment, she joined our Sponsor a Pet program and has since been sponsored by one of our caring and compassionate supporters. Many animals, such as Penelope, enter our care and need extra time, care and medical treatment before adoption. Our Sponsor a Pet program helps an animal in need at one of our two campuses through a monthly recurring tax deductible $25 donation. Learn more about our Sponsor a Pet program by visiting us online at https://fkspca.org/donate/sponsor-a-pet/, and be sure to stay tuned for more updates on Penelope!