Updates On Mookie And His Sweet Girlfriend

Remember Mookie  - an old factory dog whom we gave Hope to a few months ago by having sent him for medical treatment for his hematoma? This story brings good news to all of you, and we would like to thank everyone who contributed to his medical treatment or helped him in any way.


After staying at the boarding kennels for about a week, Mookie's ear was almost fully recovered and we took him home to his factory. Volunteers from HOPE Dog Rescue religiously visited him twice a week to check on his ear and ensure that it did not start to swell again. From his visits to the vet, we found out that he was anaemic and needed some liver to boost the number of blood cells in his body. Fiona gave Mookie's care-giver, a security uncle, a second-hand fridge so he could cook liver for Mookie. Uncle could also store liver in the fridge for the other dogs and cats in his factory since he cared so much for them. We would supply the food on a weekly basis.

Happy Mookie back at his factory after recovering

A month after Mookie's return to his factory, Uncle told us that another dog in the factory also had a hematoma! Ah Huey was Mookie's only friend left, besides the cats, after the death of Tang Tang . After hearing from Uncle that Ah Huey's ear was also swollen like Mookie's before his medical treatment, we were slightly worried for Ah Huey and were afraid to leave her ear untreated. Lisa and Jo arranged and made plans to take both Ah Huey and Mookie to the vet; to check on Ah Huey's ear and to give Mookie a final check-up to confirm his successful recovery.


Since Uncle does not have a mobile phone and is not contactable via phone, Lisa headed down personally one afternoon, a day before the vet appointment, to inform him about the scheduled appointment. Also, Lisa instructed Uncle not to feed Ah Huey after 8pm the night before the vet appointment, as she has to fast in case she was diagnosed with hematoma and required a minor ear surgery.


On the day of the vet appointment, Lisa booked a pet transport to fetch the dogs from their factory to the clinic. Since Ah Huey is extremely timid, Uncle helped us to leash her and put her in a big carrier. Mookie did not need to be in a carrier at all, as he was familiar with us and seemed to enjoy car rides. On the way to the vet, Ah Huey peed and poo-ed in her carrier out of fear. Most likely she had never been on a car ride before and was unsure of where we were taking her.

Sweet Ah Huey on the way to the vet

Cheeky Mookie loving his outings to the vet

Once we reached the vet, we registered Ah Huey as Daisy as it was an easier name to remember. Dr Ang examined Daisy's ear and to our relief, it was not a hematoma! Daisy had probably been involved in a dog fight, injuring her left ear - and because her ear was recovering, it seemed to be a little puffy. It was very good news that Daisy did not have to undergo the painful procedure of an ear aspiration.

Dr Ang then continued with other checks and tests on Daisy. She is estimated to be around 7-8 years of age and has hardly any front teeth! Her loss of teeth might perhaps have been due to years of chewing and biting on hard material like metal wires; maybe due to the boredom of living in a factory! She was also positive for heartworm and was a carrier of tick fever. Due to her age, Dr Ang recommended us to treat Daisy with Heartguard to kill all the worms in her heart instead of proceeding with the strong heartworm injections that might put her life in danger. We gave her the first dose of Heartguard, mixing it into a yummy packet of chicken and char siew rice. She was also given a vaccination against Canine Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis (bacterial of sorts) as well as Parvovirus.

Sweet old Daisy aka Ah Huey

Ah Huey at the vet; extremely uncertain of her surroundings

Daisy seems old, with not many teeth left. She could also have been biting on metal 

Daisy having blood samples taken from her

As for Mookie, his ear had fully recovered but tests reflected that he was still heartworm positive even after the 3 jabs of Immiticide to expel all the worms in his heart. Dr Ang explained that in some dogs, it may take 6 months or longer for the worms to be completely removed. She recommended that we put him on Heartguard to kill the baby worms and as a preventative measure against a new heartworm infection. Fortunately, Mookie is finally free from tick fever! Lisa also noticed that a growth resembling a small "cauliflower" on the top of his eye lid had miraculously disappeared! We asked Dr Ang about it and she said that it could have been a canine papilloma, and probably went away on its own after blood supply to the growth was stopped naturally. It might return in the future, so we will still continue to check on him regularly. Mookie also received a vaccination just like Daisy's, and was given a dose of Heartguard too.

Taking a blood sample from Mookie

In a nutshell, Mookie and Daisy have no severe health problems and are doing very well back at their factory. Uncle feeds them every day and ensures that they are well, while volunteers visit the doggies twice a week! Mookie and Daisy are due for a review at the end of the year to check if they still have heartworm, and to ascertain that they are healthy.

Lisa checking if she fits into the carrier!  Actually Daisy had peed and poo-ed in the carrier and Lisa was cleaning up. Volunteer, anyone?

We would like to thank Lisa for sponsoring Mookie and Daisy's pet transport and vet bills.

We would also like to thank all friends and volunteers who have played a part in Mookie's recovery from his hematoma. There are many dogs out there just like Mookie, who may need medical help and we would like to give them some Hope. We can't do it alone and we need your help and support. Let's work together to help improve the lives of street animals and give them the Hope and care they deserve!

Written by Jo-Ann