Duffy-A Special Story
Last Friday morning when I arrived at the shelter to walk dogs, I noticed a dirty little mop of a dog sitting quietly in the corner of the kennel. He had been taken to the shelter as a stray by 2 girls who saw him following them when they were out jogging. I've got a pretty good eye for dog breeds and despite his slovenly appearance, I suspected that there was a purebred miniature schnauzer inside the tangled clump of matted fur.
The shelter was full and by the time Cassie, another volunteer, and I finished walking all the dogs, I didn't have and extra time to give the new dog a bath. He wasn't very lively, and he smelled like he had been rolling in something long dead. Officer Dan gave me permission to take the dog home where I had an assortment of medicated shampoos and all my grooming tools. I could clean him up return him to the shelter the next day. How someone could have let a dog get to be so filthy and unkempt was a mystery to me. I was hoping that his owners would not claim him and he might have a second chance with a family who would take better care of him. But he needed a bath regardless.
I started bathing him right away. The stench coming from him was strong, and I thought a good bath would take care of the horrible smell. Not so. Once he was washed, fluffed, and dried, he was a smelly as ever. He stood quietly while I clippered him which was a blessing. The matts and tangles were horrendous and it was slow going. As I cut away the masses of clotted hair, I began to realize how skinny he was, but he was starting to look like a real schnauzer even though he still smelled like a rotten egg.
Duffy was very touchy around his face and feet. There were clumps of imbedded and foxtails and hair between his toes that I couldn't get out. The stink seemed to be coming from his mouth. Was it an abcessed tooth, a wound, a malignant mass? I had no idea. A vet appointment would give us the answer. The first available appointment was Monday morning. He would have to hang in there until then.
Over the weekend, Duffy did a lot of sleeping. He was taken to Monte Vista Animal Hospital in Turlock Monday morning. Duffy was put out, and the vet removed large handfuls of foxtails from each side of the back of his mouth. All the vets at the hospital agreed it was the worst case they have ever seen. They were going to save them so we could see it, but it stunk so badly even though it was double bagged, they had to toss it. His jaws were locked from all the infection and masses of junk. The vet was surprised he could even eat. Duffy also had lots more foxtails embedded in his feet, ears, between his toes and other parts of his body.