Ginger Survived Abusive Owners And Life On The Streets, Only To Have To Fight A Life-Threatening Parasite Next

puppies
October 19, 2017

Ginger is a gorgeous Shiba Inu/Corgi who lives with her doting family in Houston, Texas. She loves her parents, but her favorite of all is her adopted sister, Milky! Ginger and Milky love to travel and see everything they can, and they adore going on long walks, particularly to check out artwork! Ginger wasn’t always a beloved family member though, and the beginning of her life is actually rather sad.

The weekend before Thanksgiving in 2015, Houston Animal Control found Ginger and her two unweaned puppies alone and wandering the streets. She was suffering from a horrible case of fleas, and she was Heartworm-positive. Often, that can be a death sentence for dogs because it can be very costly and hard to get rid of if it’s not caught in time. Thankfully, the shelter was willing to give Ginger a chance.

A family found Ginger up for adoption on Petfinder, and their daughter was immediately smitten. When they arrived at the shelter on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the day after her puppies got adopted, they weren’t sure that she was the right dog for them. They worried about how hard it would be to treat the Heartworm, so they decided to check out other dogs.

Every time they left Ginger to meet other dogs, she would whimper and cry. They could no longer resist her begging eyes and, when the shelter promised that if they continued treatment Ginger could be a healthy and playful dog again, they took her home without further ado. From that time forward, Ginger began to fit right in with the family.

The first three months that Ginger was in her new home she was on cage-rest because of the medication. She was vomiting and had a horrible cough, which broke her family’s heart. After a year of treatment, Ginger was finally declared Heartworm-free! She was finally free to run and play and be a normal dog!



Ginger is a happy and playful dog now and, although she doesn’t have to worry about not having food anymore, she still gulps her meals every day. As a result of the previous abuses she suffered, she flinches when a newspaper, a hanger, or any stick is held up. Ginger has had to fight for her life every day, but now she’ll never have to worry again.

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