Before pictures:

The “after pictures” come after we had a LOOONG night. We’re calling her Vondra for now. She’s a young adult and very sweet little Shih Tzu-type dog. We started grooming her without my understanding the seriousness of her situation. For the first time with an emergency comfort groom, I got too close to the skin and injured her, so we took her to the vet to get a couple of sutures on her front knee. I was guilt-ridden even though she barely seemed to notice it. I was able to get around her genitals and most of her body, but when she was under anesthesia, the veterinarians continued to try to get this poor baby out of her remaining prison of her own hair (see before pictures). They then admitted that they themselves cut her a few times and even razor-burned her skin trying to get her to a comfortable state, which made me realize that this was beyond our control. I’m not kidding when I say there were living plants embedded in her extreme fur mats, which were on almost every inch of her body. She is the most neglected animal I’ve ever groomed. She had to be in pain. She is much more comfortable now. I know she will eventually be beautiful, but her health comes first. Shea and I will foster her until she gets what she needs medically and gets adopted.