In her short time on earth, life hasn’t been too kind to Lotte, a 5-month-old stray who was recently discovered on someone’s porch malnourished and covered in mange.
Weighing 25 pounds, the Shepherd mix, who was found on July 30, is being nursed back to health by the volunteers at Austin Pets Alive animal shelter in Texas.
“It is hard to know the full picture of her history, but we believe—because of the time it takes for mange to worsen, emaciation to occur, and her reluctance to eat—that she was neglected or abused,” Luis Sanchez, the shelter’s director of public relations and communications, told Newsweek.
At present, Lotte requires extra care because of her severe mange, which is a skin disease caused by mites, and lack of appetite.
“She was starved,” Sanchez said, adding, “The …