LEANDER, Texas — WARNING: Some of the photos of the dogs in this story might be unsettling to some.
A nonprofit in Leander, Texas Humane Heroes, said it stepped in when a group of 10 dogs from South Texas were going to be euthanized at the end of last week.
"We were informed about a group of dogs that were found in Palm Valley, Edinburg, Texas, that were unfortunately – had terrible skin issues," said Laura Acton, assistant director of Texas Humane Heroes. "Come to find out once we got them here that they have sarcoptic and demodectic mange."
The rescue said the shelter the dogs came from in Edinburg, Texas, was running out of space and didn't have the resources to treat the medical conditions.
"Unless another rescue would've stepped forward they would have been euthanized, probably on Friday," said Acton.
She said their skin was infected and the medical conditions caused the dogs to lose pretty much all of their hair.
The dogs are reacting well to treatment and are expected to make a full recovery, according to Texas Humane Heroes.
"We just wanted to get them here as quickly as possible and start them on meds," said Acton. "Personally I haven't seen animals in that rough of a condition in my time working in animal rescue."
Staff with the rescue prepped kennels and met the shelter partner halfway in San Antonio, where they got the dogs. They said the dogs received baths, nail trims and medication right away when they got back to Leander.
"It means the world to me that our organization and our team here is so willing and ready to help these animals out," said Acton. "In a situation like this, you really realize if we hadn't stepped forward, unfortunately these guys wouldn't have been given a chance and that's all they need – they just need a chance."
Some of the dogs also tested positive for heartworms and will start the first half of treatment at the rescue and the second half at a foster home.
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"They weren't neglected by the shelter per se," said Acton. "They were unfortunately probably neglected by their homes. Once they get to the shelters and they have overcrowding, when you have so many animals in one shelter and you have a lot of healthy adoptable animals, ones like these unfortunately, lack of resources are not able to be saved."
The rescue hopes to have the dogs ready for adoptions in around six weeks.
Texas Humane Heroes is donation-based and you can find out how to adopt on its website.
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