Bella, rescued dog, on road to recovery

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Nadine Mosley is one of the SouthBARK volunteer animal rescuers who saved Bella from her owner, James Newbill.

Viewers notified FOX10 about the dog, which was chained in a resident's yard. When the dog stood up, you could clearly see its ribs and backbone.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office was notified about the dog around 8 a.m. February 13.

Deputies said Newbill neglected to give the dog the care she needed.

FOX10 was at the home when deputies took Newbill into custody February 14. He faces animal cruelty charges and was taken to Washington County Jail.

Rescuers named the dog Bella and brought her to Ark Animal Clinic and Rehabilitation Center in Mobile.

"The first thing we do is ask the vet to do a full check and let us know what the prognosis is,” said Robbie Fitzgerald, who is helping Bella recover.

Fitzgerald is president of Safe Haven Animal Care Kennels ( S.H.A.C.K.).

Veterinarian Jennifer Eiland said Bella has several different types of internal and external parasites.

Eiland said she is currently 34 pounds. She said Bella is very anemic and has a high white blood cell count. Eiland  also said she has hookworms, heartworms, and scabies and Bella has a low grade urinary tract infection and a skin infection.

"Scabies is a type of mange. It's contagious to people and other animals, so we have to keep her in isolation right now,” Eiland said.

Eiland said hookworms are an intestinal parasite.

She said the parasite, combined with lack of food, is why Bella looks so skinny.

"She has been severely neglected. She is skin and bones, and has hardly any muscle tone on her whatsoever. Her canine teeth are all broken where she has been chewing on who knows what," Eiland said.

Eiland said on the bright side, Bella has already made progress.

"We got rid of the fleas today, we have given her a bath, and we started her on medication to get rid of the intestinal parasites,” Eiland said.

But, Eiland said it will take some time before she can fully recover.

"It's going to be at least two to three, possibly four months before we even consider heartworm treatment. She is just so debilitated right now, her body couldn't even take it,”  Eiland said.

Eiland said she has a long road ahead of her, but she is a survivor.

“I think she has a very good chance. She is in high spirits, is responding very well to the treatments we started so far, so I think she is going to do great,” Eiland said.

Fitzgerald said she also believes Bella is a fighter.

"It's amazing unless you're looking at her, you would never know she has this because she has great spirits about her. She definitely has a will to live in her," Fitzgerald said.

Bella is only 2 or 3 years old and from the looks of the dog, and it appears she has had puppies.

Vets want to keep Bella for at least three more days. When she is ready, she will be taken to S.H.A.C.K.

Officials said a lot of Bella’s current and future care is based on donations.

“We take the dog in and make sure it’s medically taken care of. We live on donations and our own money and the community reaches out and it really helps,” Fitzgerald said.

As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Eiland said they already had $1,100 worth of donations.

“These donators are going to make sure the dog never goes through that again, and so are we,” Fitzgerald said.

Others, like Sandra Nathan, are reaching out to help in a different way.

Nathan is a sponsor of Bella and part of AVRAL (Animal Voters for Responsible Alabama Legislation). It’s a political action committee that promotes strong, enforceable animal cruelty laws.

Click here for more information on AVRAL.

Bella will be at the ARK Animal Clinic and Rehabilitation Center under BELLA if anyone wants to contribute to what will probably be extensive vet care, treatment and diagnosis. You can reach them at this number: 251-342-2956.

You can also donate on PayPal to theshackrescue@gmail.com .