Dog Beats The Odds

When Steven, a volunteer with Shiba Inu Rescue, saw the dog he was about to foster, he was in shock.  Nikko was in horrible condition and slated for euthanasia when Stephen was contacted to go pick up this dog who had been dumped, along with his littermates, at a shelter in Florida.

All the dogs were in rough shape and required medical care, but Nikko was by far the most severely ill of all the pups.  In addition to missing large patches of fur, the 13-pound dogs’ skin was thick and swollen due to a severe infection that had also spread to his eyes and ears.  He was so weak, he would collapse after only taking a few steps.   Steven was concerned the pup would not live through the night and wrapped him in clothes to regulate his temperature and prevent him from scratching and chewing on his raw skin.

Not only that, but Nikko is deaf, has a heart murmur, as well as heartworms. Treatment for heartworms is aggressive and can be difficult to withstand if a dog is in a compromised condition.  It was decided it would be best to wait a few months to allow Nikko to become stronger.

Nikko has been with Steven for almost a year now and his recovery has been nothing but incredible.  And he weighs a healthy 23 pounds now, but he is not out of the woods yet.  He is still plagued by heartworms and his bad heart can cause his mobility to falter resulting in Nikko falling down.  And until his heartworms are eradicated, he cannot be neutered or have much needed dental work done.