Two dogs outdoors on a grassy area; one puppy with mixed fur, another adult dog with brindle coat in shades of black, gray, brown and green sunlight 3:38
The Dodo channel icon The DodoOriginal creator 539K views Save

In a little shirt, a bald puppy heals

Samm took one look at a chubby little puppy with cracked skin and turned to Alexis. "This is the one," she said. "I can't leave here without him." more

On the way home she worried he wouldn't settle in. She didn't need to. The minute Sage came through the door he was running around the living room and picking up toys, at ease from the start. "I could breathe," Samm says.

Then came the work. About 60 percent of his body was bald and full of scabs, so Sage had to wear clothes all the time. Samm got up early for his first round of meds, mixed vitamins into every meal and gave him a medicated bath every other day.

At bedtime she rubbed him with coconut oil to soothe his skin, gave him his night meds and let him play a little. Then he slept in his cage. "We'll see what tomorrow brings," she said. "Good night, Sage."

A small dog in a white shirt sits inside a cage with toys nearby. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Dressed to protect his skin, Sage ends each day with his meds and a night in his cage.

His skin wasn't the only trouble. Sage also had a severe upper respiratory infection, and Samm often wondered if he would make it. One night, when he was doing worse, she washed all his toys, bowls and clothes, some by machine and some by hand. There were times she slept beside his cage so he wouldn't be alone.

Every day they loved on him and kept him company. Then, out of nowhere, he hit a healing spurt, and each day was better than the one before.

Two dogs outdoors on a grassy area; one puppy with mixed fur, another adult dog with brindle coat in shades of black, gray, brown and green sunlight. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Samm took one look at a chubby little puppy with cracked skin and turned to Alexis.

He had a friend in this, too. In that first week, Sage and Sparky, the other dog in the house, hit it off and played all the time. Sage always wants to snuggle with him.

His hair came back a little more each day. Now he's fully covered, and there's not one bump on his fur. Samm says Sage taught her how to love better, and she firmly believes love can heal. The scared puppy who needed so much care now gets to just be a dog.

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