Ticks nearly killed this dog until rescuers came to her aid

When you bring home a dog, you assume responsibility for caring for it. Unfortunately, some people either neglect that responsibility or run into situations where they simply can't afford to care for their dog. And most of the time, the dog is the one to suffer.

Basic care, such as deworming and flea and tick preventatives, are part of keeping a canine companion healthy. But when a dog named Belle in South Africa was discovered, she was in terrible shape. It was evident no one had cared for Belle in a long time.

When someone from the Community Led Animal Welfare, or CLAW, found Belle, she was covered in bumps. On closer examination, rescuers discovered the these bumps were actually ticks – hundreds of them. Belle was so covered in them that she didn't even look like a dog.

The ticks were gathered around Belle's eyes and ears and were feeding on her blood. The ticks had consumed so much of Belle's blood that she was anemic and couldn't walk. CLAW volunteers quickly took Belle to the vet to get her the care she needed.

The problem was that Belle had so many ticks on her that removing them one by one would cause her to lose too much blood. Instead, the vet used strong anti-parasitic drugs to paralyze the ticks so they simply fell off Belle. It was quick and effective.

After removing the ticks, the vet had to replace the nutrients Belle had lost because she was malnourished.

Belle finally began to feel better. She once again looked like a normal dog and even met a woman who decided to adopt her and give her a forever home. Although Belle was near death when she was rescued, today she's happy, healthy and in a loving home.