MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – Five months after being dropped off at a Miami Beach vet’s office in bad shape, an abandoned dog that was left for dead has made a recovery his caretakers are calling a miracle.
7News cameras captured 2-year-old Baxter licking Elisa Pelaez-Lora, an employee at the Pet House Clinic in Miami Beach, all over her face, Friday. “He always does this every morning,” she said.
This happy ending seemed unlikely five months ago, when a good Samaritan rescued the American bulldog mix from a home in Miami. Members of the rescue group Their Lives Matter brought the canine to Pet House.
Photos taken shortly after his arrival at the clinic show the dog’s skin opening up above his belly. Other photos show him lying down and covered in a blanket as he receives a blood transfusion.
“He touched me very much because he was abandoned,” said Pelaez-Lora, “and I can’t believe that human beings can actually just, you know, adopt an animal and then not spend the time with them and not care for them.”
Pelaez-Lora said this is one of the most extreme cases of severe neglect she has seen at the clinic. Baxter suffered from ticks, fleas and malnourishment.
That was before his skin started to peel away.
“It’s a miracle. It is a miracle that we were able to save him,” said Pelaez-Lora.
Vets discovered that Baxter was suffering from an auto-immune disorder. “When I looked into his eyes and he was getting the blood transfusion, I didn’t think he was gonna make it,” said Pelaez-Lora. “When I came and I saw his belly open, I said, ‘This dog is not going to survive.’”
But Baxter fought his way back to health.
Now, the vets at Pet House want to find him a loving forever home so he can bring his miracle “tail” to a storybook ending.
If you would like to give Baxter a home, you may contact:
Their Lives Matter
5499 N. Federal Highway
Boca Raton, FL 33487
(561) 994-3000
The Pet House Clinic
6800 Collins Ave.
Miami Beach, FL 33141
(305) 868-1718
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