California - Sacramento Jan 12
Mabel
Age: 10 yrs.
Sex: female
spayed
Hi, Everyone. I just got here, and I'm a mess, but I'm improving every day. I was dumped in the field on one of those 20-degree nights. It was so cold that I nearly froze. Luckily for me, someone found me. I ended up at the shelter. The Beagle Rescue people found me there, and I'm not even a beagle.
My foster mom loves dachshunds as much as she loves beagles, and she loves beagles a lot, but her heart goes out to us needy dachshunds also. I'm one of the neediest of all. Mommy was told by the shelter people that I'm 8 - 9 years old. When she first saw me, she thought I was 18 - 19 years old. I looked terrible, and I was hardly moving. I don't even know why she took me, but she likes a challenge. She got me in to see the doctor immediately.
The doctor said I had the worst case of dental disease she'd ever seen. Mommy knew I had the worst breath she'd ever smelled, so she wasn't surprised about the dental disease. The doctor pulled all except four of my teeth. I had a half dozen abscesses, I have a fissure between my mouth and sinus cavity, and I have a broken jaw. My mouth was literally rotting away. You can't imagine the pain I was in. After my teeth were pulled and I got on some antibiotics to fight the infection, I started feeling better right away. The pain medication didn't hurt either.
Before the dental, the doctor took a bunch of x-rays. She wanted to make sure that I was worth working on. Some dogs are so far gone that nothing will help them. All my x-rays looked good, except for the mouth, obviously, so they went ahead with the dental. Among other things, what the x-rays showed was my spinal column. This is very important to a dachshund. We all suffer spinal deterioration as we age that is consistent with our breed, so you can fairly accurately tell our age by looking at the spine. The doctor said that I was 10 years old at the most because there is very little spinal deterioration. They were right about my age at the shelter. I've just led a life of complete neglect, and that will age a dachshund before her time.
I'll soon have the fissure repaired and also the broken jaw. They couldn't repair either one right away because they had to have healthy bone and tissue to work with, and I had none of that. I can feel that I'm getting healthier every day. I will be so happy to have the broken jaw fixed. It's hard to eat without most of my teeth and with a broken jaw.
I weigh a petite 9 pounds, but I'm very underweight. I should weigh about 12 pounds after I fill out. I'm eating as much and as fast as I can, but it's slow going because of the shape I'm in.
Some people laugh at my appearance now. It's hard to keep my tongue in my mouth without teeth to hold it in. Mommy says I'll never win any beauty contests, and it's a shame this happened to me because I've always had a flair for style and love to dress well as you can see by my pictures.
After my surgery I'll be looking for a new home. I'm looking for someone who has enough insight to see my inner beauty. I know someone who has that kind of vision will also be beautiful on the inside. I have a heart full of love to give to that beautiful person. To learn more about me, please contact my foster mom, Suzy.
Online Adoption Application
Contact Suzy email: beaglesaver1@comcast.net
