Heartrending: Six-month-old puppy Princess, a bull-breed-greyhound cross, prepares for her special bathAn ultra-cute bald pup was abandoned and rescued earlier this month suffering from a severe medical condition that has left her with no hair.
Staring sadly at the big outdoors through a window, her illness means that she can never go outside, and these pictures show her receiving her first ever cuddle.
With such delicate skin she can't wear a jacket to keep her warm enough for the outdoors - even in summer.
Puppy love: Princess gets her first ever hug from Sallie Conroy, Dog Isolation Staff member, at Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary days before ChristmasAnd she's so fragile nobody - until her treatment began at Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary near Edenfield, Lancs - had ever touched her.
Carers at the centre are hoping she will respond to bath medicine Aludex but it's likely she will need £10,000 of expensive tablets for the rest of her life to make her happy.
The six-month-old, a bull-breed-greyhound cross, was discovered abandoned in Colne, Lancashire. Rescue organisation Bleakholt took her on and are now battling to help her recover.
Manager Neil Martin, 56, said: 'She's the saddest looking dog we have ever seen.
Princess suffers from a very advanced case of demodectic mange - one of the worst cases we have ever seen.
'It's not infectious, but is passed through prolonged contact, so we think she probably caught this from her mother.
So delicate: The puppy suffers from a severe medical condition called demodectic mange that has left her with no hair. With her delicate skin she can't stay warm enough to go outdoors, even in summer 
A bit of TLC: Sallie Conroy gives Princess an Aludex bath which staff hope will help her condition, but they say she may need £10,000 to treat her with Atopica'She has a very sad story, so it's no wonder she looks so sad. When she came to us it was clear she had never had any love. She has been emotionally starved and she didn't know how to take affection.
'Our staff are all in love with her but it's only recently that she's started learning how to enjoy a cuddle. She didn't even know how to play.
'We tried to get her to cheer up with some toys but she was scared of them. We're a long, long way from having a happy and trusting puppy who is wagging her tail and doing everything a dog should be doing.
'It will also be a long time before she can ever go outside and enjoy running around or chasing a ball.
Even in the summer she cannot go outside without any hair. And we need her to recover significantly before we can put a coat on her to keep her warm.'
Demodectic mange is caused by tiny mites burrowing into the hair follicles, which stops hair from growing.
To make Princess a happy dog, charity Bleakholt could be facing a huge five-figure bill.
'We are trying a more basic skin treatment to see if she responds,' said Neil. 'But for the last dog we had with a condition as severe as hers it didn't work. She might need Atopica, which is very expensive.'
Atopica is a drug used to treat skin conditions which is also taken by humans. As a relatively new drug, it can cost as much as £12 per day and sufferers stay on it for life.
Neil added: 'The last dog we treated with Atopica is now happy, healthy and has been re-homed in a loving, caring household. It's the ultimate goal for all the animals we take in.
'All we want to do is turn Princess' sad face into a happy one. We want to fix her problem and give her a new life. It will be very expensive but we will not stop short of what she needs.'
To help Princess and other animals like her donate at www.bleakholt.org
source: dailymail
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