Abandoned Pekingese Hides A Secret Worse Than Ticks Under His Matted Hair

#1 Abandoned Pekingese

The animal rights group 'Save a Greek Stray' was notified about an abandoned and matted Pekingese wandering the streets of a suburb in Athens, Greece.

#2 Abandoned And Strays Are A Big Problem In Greece

In Greece dogs are abandoned as we speak, even purebreds, like Combo a pure Pekingese puppy. The economic crisis has made things much worse because people without any income are just letting their dogs run loose in hopes that they find suitable shelter and food. Animal welfare charities have been trying to rescue as many as possible, but most owners don't even neuter their pets, and every day they find cardboard boxes of unwanted puppies everywhere.

#3 Save A Greek Stray

Animal welfare charities like Save A Greek Stary have been trying to rescue as many as possible, but most owners don't even neuter their pets, and every day they keep finding cardboard boxes of unwanted puppies everywhere. They are rescuing over 50 stray or loose dogs each day, and people are bringing in unwanted animals by the cart load. The organization is running out of room to keep the dogs and only through donations have they been able to keep the dogs healthy and fed.

#4 Infested With Fleas, Ticks & Parasites

Dehydrated, hungry and probably sick with mange and who know what else, Combo arrived at the shelter and was kept in solitary for 7 days before vets began treating him. Flea treatment was given to the frightened puppy for the seven days and there were over 2,000 fleas living and feasting on his tiny body.

#5 More Ticks Than They Had Ever Seen

When the rescuers began cleaning Combo they discovered more ticks on his body than they had ever seen on a dog that was only 8 pounds. The ticks were buried deep under his matted and knotted fur. At first, they believed that there were 4-6 dozen living off of Combos blood.

#6 Combo Could Barely Stand For The First Week

Draining his body of blood and nutrients, the ticks had made Combo sick and he was riddled with scabs from digging and scratching his entire body, ears, face, and rear. At the time of his rescue he could barely stand up, but after the week in solitary and being fed, he was standing and walking. They had to wait until he had his nutrients recovered to begin shaving and cleaning him properly.

#7 They Cleaned Combo Of Over 630 Feasting Ticks

He was sprayed for parasites, he was completely shaved and the task of removing the ticks began. Two volunteers worked on Combo for over 9 hours before all the ticks were removed. A total of 630 ticks were removed from the dogs body.

#8 A Long Process

It took six baths in warm water with tick & flea treatment to finally rid the shaking puppy of his parasites and clean him up. The vet decided to give Combo a sedative to make him drowsy because all of the excitement was causing his anxiety and stress.

#9 They Discovered Something Else

When they were bathing him for the last time, the vet noticed something on Combos neck that upset her more than the condition they found the dog in. She was visibly shaken with anger. The findings meant that Combo did not simply escape or get lost, he was set loose or dumped.

#10 Stitches On The Back Of Combos Neck

On the back of his neck, the two small stitches were proof of his microchip removed a long time ago, probably by a vet. According to the Greek law, removing a microchip results to a big fine and the vet's license removed, but unfortunately there is no way of finding out who the vet is. Vets in Greece began removing the tracking chips from dogs for pet owners illegally a few years ago so that they could allow the dogs to run free. The vet would charge for the service and then keep and resell the microchips for a huge profit on the black market.

#11 Combo Was Lucky

Combo is lucky, he was rescued and treated, and will probably go to a loving home. He will become a gorgeous dog once again. However, the problem in Greece and all over the world is not going away. How can we treat a pet like part of the family and then let it run loose to fend for itself when times get tough?