Ophelia: Bulldog found with extensive wounds infested with maggots (GRAPHIC CONTENT)
It is heartbreaking to see an innocent pet in pain. Here at Valley Animal Center, we are fortunate enough to be able to provide care to a few animals with grave and life-threatening injuries. We raise donations all year, but on #GivingTuesday, we have the opportunity to share how your funds are making an impact on the lives of homeless dogs and cats. We thank you for supporting our efforts and encourage you to make an additional donation today.
Ophelia’s Story
On November 2 at around 3 p.m., we received a call from animal control in the city of Sanger about a dog currently in their care. They had assisted in capturing a young bulldog who was in desperate need of medical attention. They sought our help and urged us to take her in as soon as possible. Of course, after learning about the dog’s condition and viewing images of her, we welcomed the pup into our care. We named her Ophelia.
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT BELOW
Ophelia (animal ID: 27453) had gaping gashes near her tail. It was heartbreaking, to say the least. Our animal care adoption supervisor, Ruben Cantu, showed our veterinarian, Dr. Amy Bell, a photo of Ophelia. She asked Ruben to bring her in immediately.
“Once I met her,” Dr. Bell said, “I was even more saddened because, despite her horrific condition, she was the sweetest and happiest girl.”
According to Dr. Bell, some other wounds found on Ophelia may have been potentially caused by pellets from a BB gun. At this time, this cannot be confirmed. However, it gives us the opportunity to highlight this cruel treatment of animals in an effort to end it. It is also possible that her wounds were caused by another dog.
“We do not know what caused her wounds,” our animal care operations supervisor, Maritza Lopez, said. “The possibilities are endless because she was found as a stray.”
Unfortunately, Ophelia’s story gets worse. Some of her wounds were left to fester, leading to a terrible maggot infestation.
“Her largest wound was in the fold right above her tail,” Dr. Bell said. “This wound was filled with maggots. While maggots are gross and not ideal, in early stages, they can actually be somewhat helpful to remove necrotic tissue.”
It is likely that Ophelia was left in this horrible state for some time. An over-the-counter antiseptic, Blue Kote, used to treat wounds was found on Ophelia.
“Finding this on her,” Dr. Bell said, “tells me that someone may have attempted to treat her themselves as I do not know any small animal veterinarians that would have recommended that spray. Obviously just speculation as we’ll never know what actually happened to her, but I’m guessing they became overwhelmed and dumped her on the streets. “
Caring for Ophelia was time intensive, but our staff was determined to clean and stitch up each wound. It took two of our clinic staff members about an hour to remove all the maggots. We are so proud of Dr. Bell and our team for giving Ophelia the opportunity to recover in a safe haven like Valley Animal Center.
Although it is unclear of the long term effects her bodily injuries will have have on her health, we remain hopeful.
“She is still the sweetest girl,” Dr. Bell said. “Her wounds have all closed well and she is even starting to get some peach fuzz regrowth. We are still very concerned that she may be fecal and urinary incontinent. We are unsure if this is related to damage from the maggots or if she was born this way.”
Sadly, we will never know what truly happened to Ophelia. At this time, we believe she would do best with a rescue that can handle a medically intensive pet. We will continue to care for her as we search for a rescue, and we hope her story is shared to emphasize that no animal should have to go through this.
We are happy to share that Ophelia has not lost her natural, sunny disposition and is still very happy to meet people and express her loving nature.
“She has a big fight ahead of her,” Maritza said, “but we have hopes she’ll make it through. Despite all she has gone through, she is a happy go-lucky dog to her core.”
#GIVE2VAC Today
We are so fortunate to help dogs like Ophelia. Every donation and every hour volunteered goes a long way, and we thank you for all the support you have given us over the years.
On this GivingTuesday, we hope her story motivates you to give to our organization. Our goal is $25,000, and we need all the help we can get. Each contribution is tax-deductible and will be used with great integrity to further our unique approach to animal welfare in 2024.
