10/23/2026
Changing our name to LaMa Shih Tzu Rescue™️
Someone called us because the owners were going to take him to be put down because of his condition. She knew this gnarly skin infection was treatable, so she reached out and we agreed he had plenty of life left to live.
He’s already been to the groomers. Thanks again to Hays Groom & Board for getting us in last minute.
Vet says his skin is a bacterial infection (no demodex or scabies!), likely caused by tight matting, fleas, and scratching way too much. He also has an ear infection.
You and I may see flea/tick meds as routine vet care — just something we purchase really without thinking about it. We may even feel intense frustration that this dog is in such poor condition when there was an “easy” way to prevent it. There is a whole deeper problem here that people ignore. To put it simply: people in NWLA are broke. Drive around your town and you can see it. Join a Facebook help group and you can see it. Look through LaMa’s email and you can see it. (Yes, I know some people are just a-holes who mistreat animals on purpose but that’s not who I’m talking about here.)
Where do people turn? Well if it’s an animal issue they turn to the really the only option: LaMa. And we really, really can’t carry the burden alone. I’m not just talking we can’t afford to— we really don’t have space. I can scream that intake is closed and I’ll still have people in the comments telling me this dog is here, there’s a cat there… some days what I really want to say is “so go pick it up yourself.” But that’s not how it works.
Webster Parish issues are a mix or Desperation, lack of knowledge, and few resources available. People are struggling to eat, let alone get gas to get to tractor supply or a vet and have the money to pay for meds. Hell, they might be home bound with no car. They may have no one to help them.
Sure, I also get stuck in thoughts like “well they shouldn’t have a dog.” Maybe things weren’t always like this for them. Maybe they emailed us and we didn’t see it, or maybe they don’t even know we exist and would have given them flea/tick meds before it got to this point if they’d just asked. On any given day my emotions range from outrage and bewilderment to fleeting moments of hope and gratefulness.
Webster Parish needs neighbors who notice, neighbors who do the heavy lift of helping, neighbors who aren’t too shy to educate people when there’s an obvious issue. More importantly, Webster Parish needs more than one option for help with animals. We can’t be a place where dogs are just dropped off. Even if we had room for 300 we’d still be full every day. We’re tired and broke just like everyone else.
