SoCal Sweetie Seeks Assistance

Hard on the heels of the happy news of Smeagol's placement, we learned of a dog in Southern California whose appalling condition rivalled that of the worst of the NC10's. Here is Anna Belle who has a laundry list of ailments which will require months of treatment. Fortunately for us, and even better for Anna, none of her physical problems are life-threatening, and at the end of the road, this 8 year-old fawn beauty's health should be restored. Her story is very sad, and the photos here are tough to look at. Before you read further, remember that she is safe now, and her worries are behind her.

Anna Belle is a US Frenchie, sold by her breeder to a family who later returned her following a number of dog-fights in which Anna was trounced and injured. Consequently, when she was returned to her breeder, she was fearful and aggressive toward other dogs. Her breeder placed her again in a home with no other dogs and a family of growing, older kids. For six years, Anna Belle lived in her home.

But on Monday of this week, we received word that a family wished to relinquish their Frenchie and our foster coordinator Angela Good went to work. When she called the home she learned the Frenchie in question was living outside in the yard, due to persistent diarrhea. She'd had 3 episodes of overheating in the last month, when temperatures reached as high as 104 degrees and was living alone with access to the swimming pool if she needed to cool off. Though she'd been to the vet to have her intestinal problems diagnosed, she'd done no better on the expensive food the vet prescribed, so she was eating an inexpensive supermarket food and still having terrible diarrhea. Her family had grown discouraged and given up trying to treat her. Additionally, the family had recently purchased a year-old Shih Tzu and had an 18 month-old lab. The other dogs lived in the home while Anna Belle lived outdoors.
Alarmed by the reports of overheating and learning that temps this week were hovering in the 100-104 range during the day, we put out a call for an urgent intake. A brand new volunteer only 30 miles away was able to pick up Anna the very next day, and through the kind assistance of Allen Weinberg and his friends and associates of FBDC of Southern California, we were able to get in touch with a volunteer we'd lost track of and who immediately responded and volunteered to foster Anna Belle. She picked up Anna and has already had her in to see the vet. The vet diagnosed this long list of problems, as we learned in a note from Anna Belle's foster mom:

"Face, head, neck, ears, feet and vaginal area: Severe Yeast/Staph infection.

Treatment:
Otomax 2x daily in ears
Conofite 2x daily on feet
Cephallexin 250mg 2x daily
Ketaconazole 1x daily
Benzyl peroxide medicated bath every 48-72 hours for 30 days (Oh, my gosh!..that's just to start with....)

Eyes: Dime sized Ulceration on right eye. Conjunctivitis in both eyes.
Treatment:
Chloramphenicol ointment 2x daily in both eyes


Fecal exam: Negative for parasites, positive for strong bacteria.
Treatment:
Endosorb 3x daily
Centrine 2x daily.

Anna Belle got an injection of Penicillin, Vitamin B12 and an anti-inflammatory directly behind her left ear.

Anna Belle is not well enough to receive any vaccines yet and she has at least one incisor that needs to be pulled once she is over the yeast/staph infection. Once the swelling goes down (hopefully it does…) in her feet, we can get working on her nails but I am going to let them be for now as her feet are sensitive to touch.

With all that sad news, the happy news for me was that with a lot of love and care she should recover just fine AND…..nothing she has is contagious! [Her vet] doesn’t think her feet will ever "look normal" again but, hey, looks aren’t everything and they can only get better looking from here, so we will take what we can get! Maybe we should call her 'tootsie.'"


We are very grateful that these cases of neglect come to us relatively rarely, but we are always shocked to see them at all. Anna Belle's treatment and prescriptions will be ongoing and, if you have a dog, you know how expensive medicines and vet visits can be! We are confident that once she has recovered from the stress of outdoor living and a new location, Anna Belle will once again be healthy enough to place in her final home with folks who can appreciate her and accommodate any special needs she may have.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to help us help Anna Belle, you can click here to make a donation through PayPal, or you can click here to donate through the website and select a gift as our thank you.

Though our volunteer base in Southern California has thinned somewhat in recent months, we are very happy to say that when a Frenchie was in need, we were able to respond. If you live in the SoCal area and are interested in any aspect of volunteering from fundraising to transportation, fostering short term or long term, please get in touch with Sally Curatola, our volunteer coordinator. We'd like to thank everyone in FBC of Southern California who offered help, encouragement, advice and information as we brought Anna Belle out of isolation and suffering into the hands of people
willing and anxious to assist. This girl deserves some happiness in life. Please, help us see that she gets her share.

Humbled and gratified by the compassion and cooperation we've seen this week,
The Frog Princess