When Wanda was found abandoned in a garden, the dog was close to death.

She had an extremely high temperature, an ear infection, pus-filled eyes, and a severe case of mange (a skin disease caused by parasitic mites).

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Wanda had been thrown over a fence and left to die. If she hadn’t have been found in time, she would have died alone, scared, and in pain, shortly after she had given birth to puppies.

But Wanda was lucky.


She was found and handed over to Ravenswood Pet Rescue, who quickly took her to the vet to get a sense of the damage that had been done.

There, it was worked out that Wanda would need some serious care – and that care would require some funds.



Shelley Ridgan, who works at Ravenswood Pet Rescue, decided to set up a GoFundMe page to cover the costs of nursing the dog back to health.

‘What can I say,’ she wrote. ‘The worst case I have ever collected, thrown over a lady’s fence late last night.

‘The girl has sarcoptic mange, ulcers in her eyes, entropia in both eyes, hematomas in both ears.

‘Bloods have been taken to see if anything else is going on.

‘Vets reckon she’s only about 2/3 years old and as you can see has recently had puppies.

‘I cried all the way to the vets. She is staying in the vets, in ISO while we wait for blood results and she starts her treatment for her skin first, then we can look at the operations needed.

‘We are going to raise funds to try and get this girl better.’

Her goal was £3,000, but in the first week, people came together to raise more than £8,000 for Wanda’s recovery.

That money covered the entirety of Wanda’s vet bills. She spent three days at the vet’s on a drip, then four weeks in isolation on medication for mange.

After that, Wanda needed medication twice a day for her skin, eyes, and ears.

Slowly but surely, Wanda started to get better.

‘We were shocked by her condition when we picked her up,’ said Shelley.

‘Wanda’s condition was the worst that any of us have ever seen, and the worst that the vet had seen in 25 years.

‘We thought that she wasn’t going to make it.’

Now, just three months later, Wanda looks like a totally different dog.

‘Wanda has now fully recovered and has stayed with her foster family,’ Wanda’s owner, Gail, told metro.co.uk.

‘She loves cuddles and has developed a very cheeky personality.

‘Her recovery has also allowed the true colours of her coat to come out and show what an absolutely beautiful dog she is.

‘In a truly uplifting turn of events, we could not be happier – and are eternally thankful to those who so kindly donated.

‘Wanda is a lovely dog, so friendly, loveable and – most importantly – healthy.

‘It’s amazing that she has been transformed by the generous donations from strangers across the UK.

‘I am so inspired by how British people come together to help out those in need, without expecting anything in return.’

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