Saving a Mexican dog

Most of the Mexicans in our village take good care of their animals.  When they don't, usually it is because they just don't have the money to feed them properly.  So, it's rare to see a malnourished dog roaming the streets.  We were taking a walk two weeks ago in the village when we came upon a dog laying in the gutter.  She was breathing irregularly and had sores all over.  The dog had a tic also.  Her front left leg constantly moved.  She was days away from starving to death.

Debbi  went to get the car while I stayed with the dog.  When she returned we started to load  her into the car.  The owners came out of the house.  I thought there might be a problem, but they agreed that they couldn't take care of her any more. She was damaged goods and they didn't want her.  So we lifted Maya into our car and headed home.  We really thought this dog was not going to see the next day.  But, we were determined to make her last day or days as comfortable as possible.

I'm on the phone with the Vet.  Poor Maya, you can see the fear in her eyes.

Maya had not had any food in weeks.  She was on her last legs.

She is constantly grubbing for any kind of food--even in our back yard! 

You can see the sores that were mostly on the rear part of her body.

Maya had open sores on her chest and abdomen.

She really likes laying on our wall and soaking up the sun.  You can see her ribs, and all the dark areas are skin sores.

The vet told us the muscle contraction she has is due to her having had Distemper and this created neurological problems.  The good thing is when she sleeps, the tic disappears.

Fast forward 2 weeks and look at Maya.  You can still see some ribs and some sores.  But, she is much better and we think she is going to survive.  She is really a sweet tempered little dog and is now a part of the family!

That's Maya in the center.  The Vet told us she is only 6 months old. She is starting to play with our other dogs.  Her constant muscle contraction doesn't slow her down at all.