Mange-Ridden Rescue Bully's Thankful Eyes During First Bath Have Everyone's Hearts in Puddles

Mange is a hard thing to deal with. The dog hates it, it's painful, and the hardest part about all of it is that the only thing you can really do is give the pup medicated baths.

They really are a big help, though: just look at this video from Tuesday, June 25th. During her first medicated bath in her new foster home, you could just see how thankful she was, and how grateful she was to finally be taken care of. It's incredible:

This may be Wally the Pit's account, but I can definitely see his sweet foster sister becoming the real star of the page. Her journey is something everyone will want to follow!

Related: Rescued American Bully Mix Discovering Toys for the First Time is the Gentlest Playmate

This sweet girl may look to be only a few months old, but actually, her mom found out at her recent vet checkup that she's actually a whole adult dog! She's just a mini breed - they're not exactly sure what she was bred with, but she is definitely a woman!

She has yet to have a name. For now, her foster mom refers to her as "House Hippo," which is totally accurate. Just look at her! Since she's young and still recovering from her terrible case of mange, she's not available for adoption yet, but will eventually be adopted out from Hope Animal Rescue in North Carolina.

As far as we know, this girl was rescued off the street. Whether she had a family before is unclear; there was no microchip, and her severe mange leads them to believe she was most likely a backyard-bred pup turned stray when no one would buy her.

What Really is Mange?

For a long time during my childhood, I (and lots of others, apparently) assumed that "mangey" was just an insult. "Mangey mutt" was always used in movies by villains who were being mean to their dogs, even if they looked normal!

Turns out, mange is a very real, very serious condition. Every dog has something called " Demodex mites ," which are microscopic bugs that live on their skin. Humans have them, too (mostly in eyebrows and eyelashes). Normally, it's not an issue: the mites do their thing eating our dead skin and oils, and we can't even feel them.

However, in some cases, dogs ( or humans ) become overrun by Demodex, and they spread, which causes the dog's skin to become itchy and irritated. It also results in hair loss. Dogs who are susceptible to a Demodex infestation almost always have weakened immune systems, which is what allows the mite population to get out of control.

There are two main ways this happens:

1. The dog is malnourished and/or badly bred.
2. The dog comes in contact with another dog who has mange.

Based on this girl's case and what they think her life may have been like, it's really anybody's guess. For now, she'll keep up with medicated baths and a good diet until she's good and healthy again!