This Dog Was Rescued From The Streets Of Spain And Now He’s Facing An Enormous Battle After Being Diagnosed With An Extremely Rare Disease Called Leishmaniasis
Madison, Wisconsin. Alfie is a now six-year-old Galgo (or Spanish greyhound) who was rescued and transferred from Spain to the United States.
In the spring of 2018, Alfie was rescued off the street in Spain by a group called Galgos del Sol. Six months later, he was flown to the U.S. by a group in Detroit called MotorCity Greyhound Rescue and had found a forever home with Molly Backes by Thanksgiving time.
As Molly explained, the Galgo breed was raised for hunting instead of racing. However, thousands of Galgos are abandoned or worse each year at the end of hunting seasons.
“As greyhound race tracks have closed down in the USA, the number of retired greyhounds needing homes has decreased significantly,” Molly pointed out.
“So greyhound rescue groups here have begun bringing other sighthounds, including Galgos, from abroad to help with the massive need in other countries.”
And Alfie was one of them. The rescue team estimated that Alfie was about two years old by the time he was taken in. So he should be six in the spring of 2022.
The happy story of a poor street dog who finally found a loving home, isn’t it the story that we all love to hear? Well, it should have been this way.
However, fate has decided to trick Alfie once again by giving him Leishmaniasis. This disease is usually transmitted by biting sand flies and can remain dormant for seven years.
GoFundMe; pictured above is Alfie
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Because of Leishmaniasis, Alfie has been experiencing hair loss, muscle weakness, and weight loss for the last several months. He has also undergone multiple diagnostic tests such as bloodwork, ultrasounds, needle biopsies, skin scrapes, etc.
“Vets have seen him at our local clinic and the University of Wisconsin School of veterinary medicine,” Molly stated.
Unfortunately, Leishmaniasis is currently a disease that is treatable but not curable. And since it is an uncommon disease in the U.S, the medical costs for both the diagnostic testing and treatments are costly.
“Diagnostic testing alone has been in the thousands of dollars,” Molly said. “And treatment will probably cost enough to send the children of the entire vet team to college.”
But the good part is, once the disease is under control, Leishmaniasis can go into periods of remission in which dogs can live long and happy lives. Unfortunately, if untreated, Leishmaniasis can lead to kidney failure and death.
To ensure Alfie’s happy life for at least the next eight to even ten years, Molly has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for his treatments.
Alfie, as a Galgo, has a perfectly balanced personality between being fuzzy and sleek, which Molly adores. And hopefully, with the proper care, “Alfie should have another 8-10 years of squirrel patrol and couch surfing ahead of him,” Molly said.
Please visit Molly’s page if you’d like to follow up with Alfie’s treatment for the happy life he deserves!
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