Foster Carer Takes a Chance on 'Contagious' Dog With Incredible Results

Anne Thompson

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A dog who had been struggling with two debilitating skin infections has been given a new lease of life thanks to the love and support of a foster carer. In a video posted to her TikTok page, Mady O'Reilly showcased the incredible transformation Abby the rescue dog experienced in her care. O'Reilly is a development manager at Metro East Humane Society in Edwardsville, Illinois, and also fosters pets through the animal shelter. At the shelter, Abby's door was marked with a warning that she was "possibly contagious" yet O'Reilly thought little of it: "My heart was drawn to her," she told Newsweek. Foster carers like O'Reilly play a crucial role in helping rescue animals like Abby heal and prepare themselves for life as part of a new forever family. They are in short supply, though.

Abby when first at the shelter. — Abby when she was first at the shelter. The sign on her door warned she was "possibly contagious." oreillymady/ Metro East Humane Society

The ASPCA estimates that around 6.3 million animals enter shelters in the United States every year. With these facilities under increasing pressure, foster carers are a crucial component in making the system work. Yet, according to the World Animal Foundation, just 8 percent of U.S. households foster animals. Foster carers make a huge difference though and it can be a hugely rewarding experience, as Abby's story demonstrates. O'Reilly told Newsweek she first saw Abby when the stray pup came to the local Madison County Animal Care and Control, having been found by a good samaritan in Alton, Illinois. Poor Abby was in a bad way. "Her condition upon intake was determined to be a dual bacterial and fungal infection by our shelter medicine team," O'Reilly said. "She had a pretty large abscess on her left shoulder in the spot where a lot of itching was potentially happening.

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"[Abby's] infections were likely the result of something like a skin allergy getting out of control and the owner unfortunately not having the resources to remedy it," she said. O'Reilly credits the shelter's "great relationship" with the local animal control as being key to them getting Abby over to the Metro East Humane Society, where, thanks to generous donations, they are able to provide the necessary veterinary care. O'Reilly went one step further, opting to foster Abby. "Shelters everywhere are full or even past capacity in the wake of the pandemic still," O'Reilly said. "We didn't have the immediate kennel space to pull her because of it. I had the experience and I had the space in my home, so we decided to foster her because it meant she would get the treatment she needed as soon as possible." Getting Abby the treatment in a peaceful, nurturing environment did her the world of good and soon enough she began to heal and emerge from her shell. "She did a lot of healing in the first two weeks, and started coming to life and showing her personality around the middle of the second week," O'Reilly said. "She was on three different medications—antibiotics, pain and antifungal—and she gets medicated baths with antiseptic shampoo every Wednesday and Saturday to continue her healing."

Abby is happier in her foster home. — Abby is much happier in her new foster home. She's regained confidence and got the treatment she needed. oreillymady/ Metro East Humane Society

With great care, Abby's coat has started to reappear. "I didn't even know what color marking she had until last week when her fur started to grow back in!" O'Reilly said. "Turns out she has the cutest little stocking on her right leg and a sock on her left." Abby's transformation is perfectly showcased in the video O'Reilly created, with the brave pup going from a scared stray to a confident house pet over the course of the short clip. It's a transformation that has enraptured TikTok's animal-loving community, with the video racking up over 850,000 views and a slew of comments praising O'Reilly's actions. "Thank you for all the efforts you put into this baby's recovery," one viewer wrote, with another commenting: "thank you for taking care of this amazing angel." O'Reilly hopes the video goes some way to highlighting how foster carers are "the unsung heroes of shelters." She said: "They allow us to have more space, and ultimately make a bigger impact on the pets in our community who need our services."

Abby has already been adopted. Much of that is due to the time she has spent with her foster carer. oreillymady/ Metro East Humane Society

Abby's time being fostered by O'Reilly will come to an end soon, but she's not going back to the shelter. Instead, she is heading off for a new life with a new family, having been successfully adopted. O'Reilly, meanwhile, will continue on with her work at the shelter and with her role as a foster carer. She wouldn't have it any other way. "It's also so hard not to foster when you see pets every day in need of homes," she said. "It definitely keeps me motivated to continue fostering instead of adding them to my family. Their love is so appreciated when they're with us and we pour as much of ours into them as we can." "Fostering is truly the bridge to a better place for pets and animal welfare as a whole. It's just as, if not more, important as adopting." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.