This pup came to us for emergency care after he wandered up to some Good Samaritans, shocking them with his tortured appearance. He’s lost nearly every hair on his little body, rendering his skin into something that resembles stone.
How does this happen?
Due to severe neglect, this dog has been in constant pain and is suffering from scabies mites – which is little bugs literally eating him alive. Dogs are allergic to this type of mite and they cause extreme itching. He is miserable and can’t stop scratching at himself, at all those little teeth that are invisible to the eye continually feed on him. He yearns to be touched, to be near us. He wants to be rubbed, petted, and – you guessed it – he’s a leaner.
He melts into every loving touch, ensuring you can feel his genuine gratitude when he leans in with all his body weight, begging for the love not to stop. He should never have been so lonely, so hopeless, for so long.
Scabies is very contagious to both people and dogs. Even as we begin his medicated baths and treatment, he will continue to be contagious for about two weeks. So, we wear gloves and give him all the love we can for now, limited as it may be. He also has ringworm and pyoderma, a cutaneous infection with bacteria. He wailed out in pain when we gave him his first bath, those awful sores making water feel like burning. But we know it will start to feel good soon, and he looks at us with trust, like he knows that we are doing this to make him better. It killed us to see him so scared, he just shook like a leaf. He finally calmed down when we dried him off with a big, fluffy towel.
This dog is a Husky. Its mind blowing to fathom how long it would take for a beautiful, full-coated Husky to slowly be stripped of his fur by pests. It’s even more mind blowing to think that someone may have known he was going through this pain all along and chose to do nothing. Our veterinarian says this took “months.” To this dog it must’ve felt like multiple lifetimes, and our hearts break thinking of the endless loneliness and pain this dog has endured.
We named him Lycan, and we’re eager to witness the incredible transformation he will undergo.
Lycan – You deserve to know and feel comfort. You deserve a kind touch, a nose boop, and a long overdue belly rub.
Lycan needs your prayers as he fights the infection. He desires nothing more than a loving touch and to be someone’s companion. He will never know anything else except for unconditional love from this day forward and his days of sadness, isolation and pain are nevermore.
Please give to Lycan’s care here, and help us turn him from “stone” into the beautiful, happy dog he is. We can already tell by those sweet eyes that he’s beautiful inside and out, no matter what.
Update July 12, 2024
Update July 22, 2024
GUESS. WHAT.
He’s finally feeling good and looking great! He prances all around but stops to press his head into your chest. What an absolute sweetheart. His miserable constant pain and itching is over, thank god. Watching him be so sad and painful was hard, but we knew he’d get through it.
Update October 17, 2024
He came to us with scarred skin, resembling stone. Lycan had scabies, a mite that dogs are allergic to. Over the course of months and months, he was in pain and couldn’t stop scratching as his hair fell out. He scratched his skin for temporary relief, but could never escape the torment of his own skin. One day, the right people spotted him. His condition startled them and thankfully they could not turn away. They reached out for help and we said YES. A transporter volunteered to get him to Stray Rescue.
We’ll never forget the sound Lycan made during that first medicated bath. Screams. Water should be soothing, but for him, it felt unbearable. Our team stays so strong every day, but certain things will still create new cracks. That was one of them.
As we treated him, gowned up and gloved since scabies are contagious to humans, he would melt into our hands. He hadn’t been touched in so long, he yearned for it. For comfort and human interaction. He broke our heart. But within just a couple of weeks his life-threatening skin infection was under control and he was no longer contagious.
That transporter we mentioned earlier? He came to get him as his foster dog. Foster dad continued the medicated baths at home, and became the lap Lycan laid his head on every night. Together, we healed so much more than Lycan’s skin. We healed his heart and his soul.
Lycan came in to see Cassady, the woman who said YES. He came in to see his doctors, his nurses, his caregivers. We can’t tell you how many times he was told how handsome he is. He smiled from ear to ear, leaned against everyone, and literally fell over into a couple of laps.
You would never believe this beautiful blonde husky had ever been through hell. Thank you for supporting the animals we rescue! Lycan will be one of the warriors who will walk the red carpet at this year’s Holiday Gala on December 6.
Give here, any amount helps! Please consider signing up to give $19.99 a month!
To be a part of every rescue, sign up here to give monthly!