Nebraska Humane Society/FacebookA rescue dog lost almost half her body weight after being found in her deceased owner’s home and after undergoing a huge transformation now looks like a completely different pooch.
Ellie Mae was discovered by cleaners who had been sent to her owner’s home after they passed away. The staff weren’t aware the deceased person had a dog and were shocked to find Ellie covered in filthy, matted hair.
The pup was carried to the Nebraska Humane Society (NHS) in a storage box because she couldn’t move, let alone walk.
When she first arrived at the NHS, the dog weighed 20 pounds and was described as ‘an animal you’d see by the side of the road, weeks after it had been hit by a car… a filthy mass of stained hair, misshapen by huge mats.’
Ellie was anaesthetised and given a breathing tube so staff could keep her sedated as they began cutting away years’ worth of matted hair. Dr. Amber Horn feared for the dog’s future as she knew of a previous case in which matted hair had cut off the blood flow of a dog’s leg, resulting in a partial amputation, the NHS explained.
The team found Ellie had seven inch toenails ‘cocooned in hair, faeces and years of grit’ but thankfully blood was still flowing through her legs.
Check out how our NHS staff gave a second chance to a neglected dog.Warning: Some of the photos below are…
Posted by Nebraska Humane Society on Friday, September 13, 2019
NHS staff worked painstakingly for an hour to remove nine pounds worth of grimy fur and after shedding the extra weight the little dog weighed in at just 11 pounds.
Ellie’s fur was not her only problem as staff found she had one infected foot as well as muscle wasting and arthritis in her back end. She required hernia surgery, dental work and antibiotics to ward off further infection but luckily the pup looks to have a bright future ahead.
Five hours after her transformation began, Ellie was up and able to go outside. She was a bit wobbly during her first outing but the dog grew stronger each time she ventured out. She was on antibiotics and pain medication for several days but after two weeks the adorable pup was thriving.
According to the NHS she loves to explore and greets everyone with a sweet face and a happy demeanour. In a post on Facebook, the company said Ellie is doing ‘better than ever’ and seems like a whole new dog.
After photos of Ellie were shared online, the NHS were inundated with people who wanted to take her in.
The organisation told UNILAD that while there were a long list of hopefuls, the lovely pup went to a woman who had contacted them on the same day the photos were posted.
They added:
She’s had Shi Tzus before and it was love at first sight for both!
Hopefully Ellie will be well cared for at her new home; the staff certainly did incredible work when it came to giving her a better quality of life!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.