Remarkable Billy!
I got the news about Billy’s terrible burns in April, and when nobody found him, I was afraid I would never see him again. A couple of days after I arrived back in Varkala at the beginning of November 2015 I spotted a dog all grey and scruffy, suffering from a severe case of mange covering the whole of his body. And it was Billy, I recognised the timid, sweet boy and he recognised me too! It was heartbreaking to see him like this, and normally he would never approach anyone, but he trusted me and knew I would help him.
He was totally covered in mange with blisters full of pus, bleeding wounds and the skin surface hard as cardboard and hardly any fur left. His life was daily painful suffering and the constant itching is impossible to even imagine in the heat. To add even more misery, he was constantly attacked by other dogs and people because of his looks and inability to defend himself when he was so ill,I started treating him instantly with de-worming, mange medication and antibiotics.
I was unable to wash him because he was so scared. A good, nutritious feed every day to build him up was crucial too, he was very skinny and his immune system was low. The reason why the mange had turned so bad were the injuries he had suffered earlier that had affected the body severely.
He soon found out where I lived and after some hesitation, he started to come there daily, I could wash him with wipes and eventually brush him to get the crusts off him. Despite the lack of baths he responded very well to the treatment, the skin healed slowly, the infections dried out and the fur started to grow back in patches. After a month we could see his different colours coming back again, and now after 7 weeks he has a good, thick fur over most of his body, even the naked skin on the legs are getting hairier!
He has now back to a normal street dog life, he has joined a little pack in the area where I live and he hangs around with them a lot. He comes to see me every day for some food and rest, this is his safe spot. He is still a low ranking dog and gets a lot of beating, but he can now live without the pain and be a dog again! Working with him has been incredible, I am so happy that I could help this timid fighter.
