Adorable puppy dumped on streets of Bristol beats painful case of mange to find loving home

An adorable stray puppy who was found wandering the streets of Bristol with a nasty case of mange has defied the odds to beat her condition and find a loving new home.

Xena was just six months old when she was found deserted and brought into the Bristol Animal Rescue Centre on Albert Road one

It became clear the pooch had a serious infestation of demodex mites, also known as mange, which had caused her to lose her fur and have very itchy, inflamed skin and extremely sore pustules all over.

Jodie Hayward, Animal Home manager at the Centre, said: “On arrival it was obvious she was in a lot of pain, and she was frequently itching and licking herself – she just couldn’t get any relief.”

Xena, named so because staff came to see her as a little warrior, was given regular medicated baths to soothe the mange before the teamm worked with her on socialisation skills to get her ready for rehoming.

Jodie said “Despite her terrible condition on arrival and the immense pain she must have endured, Xena was a strong little pup.

“You would expect after everything she had been through that she may be suspicious of people, but once her condition started to improve, she was a very playful pup and became much loved by the staff and other dogs here.”

Xena was later happily rehomed with an adopter who runs a glamping site in Chew Valley on the outskirts of Bristol.

It means she now has plenty of space to run around and enjoy an active outdoor lifestyle.

“We named her Xena because we knew she’d be strong,” Jodie added.

“She overcame this horrible condition and is now living her best life. We couldn’t be happier for her.”

What is mange?

Demodex mange is the most common form of mange in dogs and occurs primarily in dogs less than 12 – 18 months of age.

Adult dogs that have the disease usually have weakened immune systems. When left untreated, it can lead to secondary infections, which can be very dangerous for dogs.