Active, playful and very sociable, the dog Gavryusha loves to run, jump and communicate with other dogs more than anything else. But it was not always so. More recently, Gavryusha lived on the street, and then fell ill – and only thanks to the veterinarians he survived. Together with Good Mail.ru we tell the story of his salvation.
One day, people met a sad homeless dog at a gas station. The animal was lame and generally looked very bad, so eyewitnesses decided to help him and took the dog to one of the shelters of the Nika Foundation.
Gavryusha and friends (source: Unsplash)
During the examination, a fused fracture of the hind leg was found in him, and most importantly, several dozen ticks were removed. This is a very worrying sign. Alas, after examinations, our fears were confirmed: piroplasmosis was found in Gavryusha (as the dog was called).
This deadly infection develops after being bitten by an infected tick. The incubation period lasts from 2 days to 2 weeks. Getting into the blood, piroplasm destroys red blood cells – and if treatment is not started, then within 4-5 days after the first symptoms appear, the animal dies.
Gavryusha and friends (source: Unsplash)
Gavryush was lucky. He was immediately admitted to the hospital and treated. Thanks to the doctors, the dog got better and was able to defeat piroplasmosis. However, not all animals cope with this disease. Especially puppies and older dogs, where even the best treatment sometimes doesn’t work.
“It’s quite easy to save tailed ones,” says Sergey, a medical assistant at the Nika Foundation. “It is necessary to treat them in time with drugs that repel ticks.” Unfortunately, shelter dogs often lack them.
Gavryusha and friends
Now the Nika Foundation is raising money for flea and tick prevention for dogs living in shelters. One bottle of special drops costs about 200 rubles. He will save one dog from ticks. In total, 800 animals live in the foundation’s shelters, and everyone needs protection.
Let’s give Gavryusha and his neighbors a safe and happy summer! May they be safe!
Source credit: https://pets.mail.ru/stories/
