When a good Samaritan first spotted a little Dachshund limping around the streets of Houston, she assumed the dog had been hit by a car and had an injured foot. A trip to the vet led to a far different diagnosis. The exam and X-rays showed no signs of broken bones; instead, the pup had extensive burns all over her hind end.
“I'm not sure how this could have happened other than abuse,” said Terry Douglas, a volunteer with Wyoming Dachshund and Corgi Rescue, which also serves the Houston area. “Someone put that little girl into scalding water or it's some kind of chemical burn. It must have happened some time ago because the burns are very necrotic and infected.”
The rescue organization named the dog Minnie Pearl. Like her namesake, she’s beautiful, spunky and a fighter.
Though Minnie is in incredible pain from the burns, which cover her back legs, tail and anus, volunteers say she never complains.
“Of course, we have her on some pretty good pain management, but even on her way to the vet she didn't make a sound,” Douglas said.
Because she’s in such poor shape, Minnie requires around-the-clock care for the next several weeks. She’ll need surgery to remove the skin killed by the burns and, possibly, skin grafts.
“She also has an ulcerated cornea in her right eye,” said Douglas. “The vet said if that's not corrected with a conjunctival flap, it will burst and she'll need the eye removed.”
So far, the rescue group has paid about $5,000 for Minnie’s care, but that’s expected to double or even triple. To donate to her vet care, click here.
