The story of Melinda is the sad story of many other dogs bred only for profit. A business that does not indeed care about animals as sentient and living beings, that does not care about their feelings and their needs, but commodifies animals causing them terrible effects on the long run. Dogs are exploited to reproduce repeatedly, females are continuously pregnant to give birth to individuals that must necessarily have certain physical characteristics and meet breed standards but sometimes, as it happens in mass production, “defective pieces” come out, those that are born with deformities and congenital diseases that are often hidden to future “buyers”.

This is what happened to Melinda, a female Italian mastiff, who was born two years ago in a puppy mill and got seriously sick because of a genetic disease. The dog, instead of being treated and helped by her owners, was abandoned like a faulty product.

OIPA Italy’s volunteers in Venice, learned about Melinda’s terrible story, decided to take care of her bringing the dog to the vet for a series of medical tests and examinations necessary to understand in depth her health conditions.

Melinda was found affected from a genetic disease called DSRA (dental-skeletal-retinal anomaly). She was underweight (30kg) and small in size compared to a dog typical of her breed (40/50 cm). She got a first surgery for a very serious hematoma of the ear, a second one for a protrusion in her ulcerated and sore eyes, which did not allow her to see well and the extraction of almost all her worn out and very fragile teeth due to a serious gum inflammation.

Unfortunately, after five months of care and treatment her conditions are still very critical. She has started becoming partially-sighted and deaf and most probably soon she will be completely blind.

OIPA volunteers are trying with all their efforts to assist and support this beauty warrior. Veterinary examinations, treatment and care are very expensive but nothing compared to the extreme suffering endured by in the first two years of her life.

❤️ A small help can guarantee Melinda a better future ❤️

You can make a donation specifying “Melinda – OIPA Italy Venice”