nola

Female - Bluetick Coonhound

Age: January 2023 / Weight: 19kg on intake

Nola had been reported and shared on Facebook as a dog running the north side of Bucerías. For almost a month, people saw her daily; feeding her as she traveled up and down the beach. Over time, she began losing weight, so we knew it was time to step in. We searched for her but kept missing her. Thankfully, one morning, some of our amazing volunteers found her on the beach and stayed with her until we could get her to the vet. Nola is a Bluetick Coonhound. Her name comes from the breed’s origins in Louisiana—NOLA (New Orleans, LA). She arrived underweight, anemic and positive for Ehrlichia. Her platelet count was extremely low at 46 (normal starts at 150), which explains her weight loss, exhaustion and lack of appetite.

She has clearly had puppies in the past, though not recently, and is not producing milk. While at the vet, we noticed discharge and initially suspected she was in heat. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. Nola was diagnosed with TVT (Transmissible Venereal Tumor)—a highly contagious canine STD that causes cancerous tumors. The good news is that TVT is treatable with chemotherapy.

She immediately began antibiotics for Ehrlichia and must complete one full week before starting chemotherapy (while continuing doxycycline). She has begun vetting, vaccines, and chemo. Due to the TVT she is currently kenneled alone. The best part? She’s already improving—more energy, tail wagging, starting to howl and finally getting the rest she deserves.

She is not available for adoption at this time and when she is, we will be very selective about her placement due to her breed. She is not a quiet dog as it is common for this breed to make braying sounds. It is similar to a howl.