We're Praying For A Miracle For Babu

It is with a heavy heart that we pen Babu Boy's latest update.

His condition has deteriorated rapidly. His ears now have a slight twitching, and one eye has also started twitching – these are signs of further neurological damage. The vet is starting Babu on seizure medication to hopefully delay the seizures. The vet has also started Babu on tube feeding, as he has not eaten in 8 days. 

Babu in healthier and happier days

His family, the workers at the factory, want to take him back as soon as possible, and they have prepared a room for him. We don't mind taking him back, so that he can spend his remaining days with his family. But we're worried that the germs from his illness will be passed to the other two female dogs. 

We want to bring the two females in for a distemper test and vaccination, but the workers won't let us take them, after what has happened to Babu. We understand. They don't blame us, but they don't want anything to happen to the girls as well. The girls are very depressed and have been in hiding ever since Babu, their pack leader, left.

We are terribly sad. We are still hoping for the best, but it doesn't look good. We are torn as to what to do now; if we send Babu back home, it will only be a matter of days that he leaves for good. He will suffer from great distress and pain, going into seizures in the office at the worksite. Rushing him to the vet when that happens will be too late, and he could suffer till the end.

Towels from Babu's family. We have put these in his room at the clinic, hoping that their smell will empower him to keep fighting on. (We thank Veronique for going to pick up the towels)

Yet, we know this is what Babu wants: to be with his family just one last time, to go back to where he grew up and lived all his life. We know he misses his daily swims in the river. (Yes, he is only 3 years old. Way too young to have him taken from us.)

We wish that we could turn back the hands of time, that we had known the signs of distemper... instead of delaying his much needed treatment. Babu is paying dearly for our mistake.

Our hearts are breaking.

Babu Updates

He came to us and we were supposed to help him get better, but now Babu may end up with his life cut short.

The next few days are crucial for Babu. His plasma transfusion went successfully, and he seems a little perkier although he is still refusing food.

His future hangs in the balance.

If he gets better, it’s a miracle. If he gets worse, we may decide to take him back to be with family – the workers who have cared for him at the factory where he lives, and the other dogs that live with him.

Dr Chan says his condition has stabilised, although his kidneys have now been affected slightly by distemper. His teeth have started chattering, and he makes chewing gum movements -  a sign the condition has started to affect him neurologically. The next stage is seizures, and after that, it’s death.

We visited him this afternoon. He drank a little milk, which the workers brought for him last night. The workers, who know him well and love him so much, told us he loves milk.

Baby Babu when he was a little puppy. The workers have taken good care of him since he was 2 mths old.
(Photograph courtesy of Sharma, Babu's best friend)

We wanted to bring him back to visit his family, but were worried that he could pass the virus to the other two female dogs. We wanted to bring the dogs to the vet to be tested for distemper and vaccinated, but if they are carrying the virus, it could trigger adverse reactions and more dogs might be harmed.

Plasma transfusion is very costly, and because he is in isolation, he has a vet nurse attending to him most of the time. The hospital bill is estimated to be $4,000 for a five-day stay. We don’t usually spend so much on a rescue dog because we feel the money spent on one dog could be used to help many more dogs. However, Babu has had a very hard month – two leg surgeries that he bravely soldiered through after his hit-and-run accident, then his body weakening so drastically from pneumonia – and we want to give the best after all that he has been through. We can’t let him down now.

If you would like to make a donation towards his vet bill, please send a cheque to The Animal Doctors at Block 108, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, #01-94/96, Singapore 560108. The cheque should be made out to “The Animal Doctors Pte Ltd”, and at the back of the cheque, write “HOPE Dog Rescue/Babu”. Please request for a receipt.

* Please note that no visitors are allowed. We understand your concern but he needs his rest and not be unduly stressed. Should you wish to receive regular updates, please email us. Thank you.

Written by YQ

Babu Fights For His Life

26 April 2012 was a happy day for me, as we managed to take Babu Boy to the vet and save his leg. Saving dogs is always a happy moment for me.

Slightly more than a month and two leg surgeries later, Babu Boy is lying in the vet, fighting for his life again. He has canine distemper.

Babu, with muscus dripping from his nose

How did this happen? I have been asking myself this all day, ever since I found out around noon today. Did he contract it from the hospital where he had been warded for the past week? Was it already in him and only recently surfaced because his immunity is low? I don’t have the answer. Images of him have been running repeatedly through my mind. I recall how the workers carried him out from hiding, into my van to go to the vet. I recall how he wagged his tail and greeted me each time I visited him at the vet or at the foster home. I miss his brown eyes looking at me and asking when he can run in the open fields again.

I visited him this evening after work. He didn’t even know I was there... He was struggling to survive.

This morning our friend, Veronique, helped us discharge Babu Boy from the hospital, to transfer him to another vet. Volunteers Rina, Johnathan and Cherlyn were also at the hospital to help carry Babu. They sat at the back of the pet transport to monitor his condition and constantly reassured him.

Babu not wanting to sit, even though he was very weak and tired

Babu Boy was warded at the hospital for a week, as the stitch on his leg wound had opened. Little did we expect the turn of events over the next few days. We were told one afternoon that he had thrown up a few times and there were actually strains of blood in the last vomitus. The vets then treated him for gastrointestinal problems. They also told us that he was not eating and thus had to be put on a drip and syringe-fed. When we visited him, he was down in the dumps and struggled to stand up to greet us.

The following day, we called the hospital for an update on his condition. It turned out that he had contracted pneumonia and they were treating him for that. They said this could be due to an infection, but were uncertain of the source; antibiotics was prescribed for his infection.

A day later, we were told his blood count had dropped and he was anemic. They then treated him for tick fever (even though his results showed he had been tested negative for tick fever) because his symptoms were similar to that of tick fever. I asked if they needed to conduct more tests to find out the underlying cause so that this problem can be treated before his condition further deteriorates, but was told that we should see results in 3 days’ time.

Just arrived at the vet, testing for distemper outside the clinic premises as distemper is highly contagious

Blood dripping from Babu's nose

Nose swab test for distemper (Babu didn't like it, so he kept fidgeting)

Poor Babu has lost a lot of weight

Exhausted after the journey

After discussing with volunteers Veronique and Joanne, we decided to quickly discharge Babu Boy and take him to another vet where we could hopefully obtain a more accurate prognosis. Unfortunately, that’s when we were hit hard with the news that he has canine distemper. In fact, we were in disbelief and the vet actually conducted the test twice to confirm that he is indeed suffering from this life-threatening disease. Distemper is highly contagious and chances of survival are slim.

This afternoon Babu Boy was given a plasma transfusion to boost his platelet count. When we visited him this evening, he was halfway through the second bag.

Preparing to start on the plasma transfusion

Looking at how the vet techs are attired, you can judge how highly contagious canine distemper is

The workers came to visit Babu again after work and I could see sadness in their eyes. They kept asking me, "Why? How can happen like that? Why can like that?" I really wish I had answers for them. All I know is that his family has been patiently waiting for his joyous return after his leg had recovered, not to hear me tell them that he is now left with only 10% chance of survival.

I hate to say that we have done all we can for him and now he has to fight this battle on his own, because the fact is, I feel we didn’t do all that we could have. Throwing up, the blood strains in his vomitus, being diagnosed for gastrointestinal problems and then pneumonia - all these were signs of canine distemper and yet no one thought about running a test on that. I don’t blame myself for the state he is in now, but I do blame myself for not acting faster, resulting in the spreading of virus within his body for almost a week before we transferred him to another vet for treatment.

(taken from outside)

In strict isolation, thus we were not allowed to enter

This is where he fights for his life

I pray that he will survive. I pray that come tomorrow morning, the vet will call and tell me that a miracle happened overnight and that Babu is strong and eating again. He has not eaten in 6 days and has lost so much weight.

The workers tell me that Babu used to play soccer with them in the evenings. They tell me, "in India, dog eat grass, vomit and then better already. No medicine". I wish it was that simple; I really do.

To the reckless driver who slammed your car into poor Babu, you have shattered more than just the bone in his leg.

Babu's family waiting for his return

I have not been this sad in a long time, although I know I have to be strong for Babu. I have promised him that if he eats just a few pieces of chicken, I will take him back to visit his family and he can be with them again. I hope he heard me.

I hope the angels heard me too, for I have asked them to give him the strength and will to pull through this.  

I thank Veronique for putting the initial deposit to check Babu into the vet, and the volunteers for going down to help at such short notice. Thank you.

*Note: Beano has also been tested for canine distemper and the results reflect NEGATIVE. We are appealing for a foster for Beano so he can be discharged from the hospital very soon.

Babu Boy's Courage

It may not have been the most comfortable of lives; food was not in abundance and his family could not provide the best for him. It was a simple life. But one he treasured and loved.

Babu having his bandage removed last week, with Nicholas by his side.

Thanks to the reckless act of one driver, Babu Boy was forced to leave his family - two other female dogs and the workers at the factory where he lived - behind and live among people he does not know.

While he has received much love from all of you over these past weeks, Babu is depressed and sad to be away from his family. Angry and frustrated to be have his movements restricted, where once he could go wherever he wanted - even taking a leisurely swim in the river.

For those of you who have been reading our blog, you know Babu's story. He was hit by a car and it broke his leg. The first steel plate that was inserted into his injured leg bent under his weight and he had to go through another surgery to insert a stronger plate into his leg.

Babu's wound where the steel plate was inserted

After Babu Boy’s second surgery, he was discharged and placed in a foster’s home to recuperate. However, a few days back, his wound opened and he had to go back to hospital for one stitch.

His leg is looking good and recovering well

This week, he ran a fever and vomited blood. The hospital has conducted an X-Ray and blood tests but found nothing wrong. An ultrasound and check for tick fever, as well as other tests have not revealed any answers. He has an enlarged spleen and the vets are treating him for a gastrointestinal problem. As a precautionary measure, he has been started on medication for tick fever.

He has not eaten for two days and has lost a lot of weight. He wears an e-collar but out of frustration, he keeps pulling out his drip. He may need a blood transfusion and we have to standby a doggy blood donor.

We hope and pray Babu will not get into any emergency situation where a transfusion is needed and we have to scramble to get his blood type.

We are very worried about Babu and sad that he has had to go through so much in such a short span of time.

And so is his family.

Babu Boy and his two female friends living at the workers' quarters

Babu Boy - taken at his home

"Home" photographs courtesy of Sharma - Babu's caregiver. 

They obviously do love him a lot to have photographs of the dogs.

Two workers came to visit Babu today (Friday). They boiled some chicken breast and rushed down after work to see him. Babu was very happy to see them and wagged his tail. He tried to stand up but he was so weak.

We learnt just how attached Babu is to them. The workers told us that every morning at 7am, Babu would stand with the engineer as the workers receive their briefing for the day. When the workers head off to work, Babu would go lie down in the shelter, with his gaze toward the gate, waiting for his family to return at 5.30pm.

The two other female dogs have been missing Babu too. He is their leader. Without him around they have been lost and hide in their container and sleep all day. They only come out during meal times.

Babu's family needs him.

And Babu needs his family.

Babu has been microchipped. Once he is well enough to return to the worksite, the workers will license him with AVA.

We thank everyone for their love and concern for Babu. We are touched by their generous contributions to helping a street dog.

Written by A.Wong

He Was Meant To Be Mine

This was written on Christmas 2011 and was due for the blog long moons ago but we had so many urgent rescues that we apologize for this being pushed till now.

Today I spent my first Christmas with Happy Georgie. We walked on the beach and I told myself that this is probably the very first time that Happy Georgie walked on a beach and spent Christmas day with someone. I am truly very happy and lucky to have him with me and be my best companion and buddy!

A stray no more

Thinking back, it was about 7 weeks ago that I was told by my neighbour, that an organisation named Hope Dog Rescue was looking for someone to foster a dog, named George, for 8 days. I then read the moving story how George needed help badly. 

I agreed to foster him till he finished his course of medication. At that time, I had just lost my first dog in an accident and wasn't ready to have another dog. Nonetheless, as I read how urgently George needed a foster, I relented. Just as I was waiting to hear about fostering, Fiona and her team was appealing for someone to adopt George. I hesitated, as I was still somewhat in the process of grieving.

His eyes say it all

Nonetheless, I decided to drop Fiona an email. She explained the situation to me - if I wished to foster George after his vet appointment, then he can no longer be released back to the streets because it has already been almost 2 weeks that they have fostered him and it wasn’t fair to put him back on the streets after such a long time. The fact is not many people would be keen to adopt a local breed dog,  what more one that is so old, with a broken hip etc. Those words immediately changed my mind. I was prepared to give him the best and there was NO way I was going to let him go back to the streets in his current condition. When I set my eyes on George that very first time at the vet, I told myself that I had made a good decision to have George as part of our household and part of my life. He was so tiny for a medium sized dog and he weighed only 14kg! His dislocated hip was obvious, and his blood counts were still not back to the normal range. How could I let such a brave and adorable dog with such a condition go back to the streets?  He surely needed proper care for his medical conditions, a place he could call HOME and more-so, lots of tender loving care.

Update -  He  is now known as Happy Georgie and his blood count has gone back to the normal range. He has also gained sufficient weight (he is about 16.5kg now and the vet said this is sufficient or else it will bear extra burden on his displaced hip). Though it is still obvious that he still limps due to the displaced left hip, the vet said that he could do without the hip surgery as he seems to be coping fine.

After years of hardship living on the streets, he is finally living a life he truly deserves.

Happy Georgie is very happy in his new home now though I can still see the "melancholic" face he puts on once in a while. I am sure he misses his freedom of roaming round the streets for the last 8-9 years of his life and he misses his friends in the factory area. He now has a place he can proudly call his home, and a family who loves him tremendously. In all honesty, in return for a roof over his head and the love he gets, he gives back by bringing an abundance of love, joy and laughter to each and everyone of us in the house. We hope we will have many more Christmases spent together in the years to come. Happy Georgie - Thank you for coming into our lives!

Contributed by Francis Ngau - Happy Georgie's new Papa

Thank you Francis for adopting Happy Georgie and loving him so much. Thanks Audrey, for sharing with Francis about HOPE Dog Rescue. As long as everyone keeps adopting from us, we can go on saving lives.

Meet Prince And Beano

You've shared our ups and downs; lent us your moral support and donated to our cause.

For journeying with us through this time and contributing to Prince's, Babu Boy’s and Beano's medical bills, we would now like to invite you to our Meet the Prince & Beano session this Saturday (19th May) from 10am to noon (10am-11am for Prince and 11am-12pm for Beano) at Mount Pleasant Animal Hospital at 232 Whitley Road, S(297824).

Currently, our darling Prince's blood count is still below the normal range and his platelet count has not improved. The doctor in charge reckons he may need another blood transfusion. Thankfully, we have 'Favor' on standby, all ready to donate blood to Prince and save his life yet again.

Beano is making good recovery. His wound is healing well because he is young, and he will most likely  not need to stitch his wound.  He will be at the vet for about 2 weeks, until his wound dries up, before going to a foster. Beano is young, playful  - jumpy like a puppy! - and loves eating. He is happy to be alive and loved.

Babu Boy is back in the vet and has been warded for a few days; his wound is weepy and not healing well. We are extremely upset that he is in this discomfort and we hope nothing serious happens to his hind leg.

Please take note of the following :

1) please avoid parking inside the hospital compounds, as it is reserved for customers of the clinic

2) should you wish to donate food to Beano, Babu Boy or Prince, please only donate dry food / kibbles, canned food or treats. No cooked food please.

Prince and Beano look forward to meeting you, and so do we.

Losing Faith In Humanity

In a short span of three weeks, we have seen so many cases of neglect, abuse, torture, abandonment and animal cruelty. WHY?? Why this senseless behavior? What has our society come to? In just a few weeks, it has been one pain after another; from Prince’s neglect and abuse, to Babu Boy’s irresponsible hit and run accident, to the dogs’ whose tails were cruelly chopped off, to Beano. 

Meet sweet little Beano.
Who would ever think of hurting a dog with an adorable face like this?

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By Iris Lim


The first time (should be mid-April) I come to know about this white dog was my hubby telling me that he saw someone throwing water on the dog to chase him away from their premises. He told me that the dog has a big wound on his neck which he can see from a distance. Everyday I try to search the surroundings for this dog but he never appeared.

There was a night when we are working late at the workshop when I heard the dogs barking loudly. Seems like a dog fight going on so I went to investigate. The other strays are chasing the white dog and he was hiding in a corner. I bought him some dried food and he finished them quickly. Thought he might still be hungry so I proceed back to get more food for him. He was waiting outside my office but this time round, he did not finish the food. He seems to have difficulty swallowing the dried food. After eating, he left without saying good-bye. Days by days goes by, the white dog will drop by my office late at night (11pm-midnight) for food and as usual, he will go away once he finish his food.

Taken on 8 April

This goes on for a week and I started to cook rice to mix with canned food for the white dog. As he eat, I will apply the medicated powder on his wounds. He seems to know that I will not hurt him and he moved to sleep below my office (container). He will sit outside my office if I’m around. His wounds getting better and better. 

His wound was actually starting to heal, before he got attacked again

For the past week, I am not in office during the day but I will still go back in the evening to cook for the dog. However, the white dog is not around anymore and I ask my neighbours and they did not see him too. Told my neighbours to keep a lookout for him and they told me that they have seen the dog running in fear during the day. He did not come back to his resting place which is outside my office. I was in office this afternoon and was talking to one of the tenants. I was asking her if she has seen the new born puppy and she was a kind lady, an animal lovers too. She has taken care of the puppy in her office and was showing me when she suddenly remembered that white dog that I had told her about. She told me that she has seen the dog today and the wounds is so scary that she don't dare to approach him too.

His wound had become a lot worse (picture taken at construction site)

I search for him again but I did not find the dog. This evening as I was preparing food for the other strays, I heard my hubby calling me in a hurry. "Quick, quick....The white dog is here !!! I step out of my office I received a rude shock ! The wounds has gone so bad. Seems to be wounded by dog fights as I can clearly see teeth bites marks on the body. Worst part, he got bitten at the part where it is already wounded.

The 1st time when I see this dog I was too scare to do anything for him except to give him food. I was thinking his wound would heal if he eats well but things don't go the way I expected. After a few days of feeding him, I got adapt to seeing his wound and start applying powder to the wound. This time round, it is too scary even for me too.

I remembered reading Hope Dog Rescue on Facebook and I quickly check for Fiona Hp number that I has seen on one of the stories. This white dog needs help. I guess the dog must be running in fear everyday, from people who has been chasing him after seeing his wounds. I'm glad that Fiona rushed down and help this white dog in such a short time.

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By Fiona

Beano had chemical burns on half of his head. Some cruel person had poured acid on him and the liquid had burnt his head, his left ear and parts of his neck, as it flowed down. Imagine the excruciating pain he had been living with for almost three weeks before we saved him.

It was 8.30pm when I arrived at the construction site. When I saw him, there were still stains of this dark coloured liquid on his fur, covering his neck and head. It was pitch dark but I could smell the maggots from a few feet away as I approached him. Having worked with strays, this was unfortunately, a smell I was very familiar with, and obviously not something I liked. The dog was emaciated, bones protruding from his skeletal frame. Being small and weak, he was not part of the pack of stray dogs that hung around that area. And as such, he did not get to share their food and was constantly attacked and bullied by them.


Just arrived at the hospital

Despite the fact that his pain was unbearable and that it was obviously inflicted by humans, he wagged his tail as this human got closer to him. He still trusted this inhumane breed.

His first human touch - by the vet tech who felt sorry for him

It was easy to catch him because he was starved and all I needed to do was put some canned food into my carrier and he went right for it. I loaded him into my van and rushed to the Mt Pleasant Hospital. It was emergency hours and would have cost more to take the dog in but I felt he had suffered long enough and it couldn’t wait till morning.


Beano, feeling sorry for himself

At the hospital, with proper lighting, I finally had a proper look at him. He must have lived one of the saddest existence. Suddenly I didn’t feel so strong . . . . .his eyes were trusting but it showed the hard and sad life he lived. He was a mere puppy, he couldn’t have been more than a year old!

The chemical had burnt part of his head, ear and neck. Imagine living with this pain for weeks.

Maggots had eaten through parts of his flesh

All he wanted was someone to hold him and tell him that he would be alright as the lady held his head and her tears rolled down her cheek.

As he stepped out of the carrier on his own, his pain and suffering hit me hard. Pus was oozing out of his wound, maggots were crawling all over his wound and his tiny face. There were holes when there should have been flesh. I saw bubbles on his head and I knew maggots had burrowed through and eaten away his flesh. His left ear was distorted with parts of it missing, either from the chemical burn or from the flesh eating maggots. A lady who had walked past us on the way out after visiting her dog, stopped to stare at him. Immediately her tears flowed as she knelt down to ask me what happened. I explained and she asked why? Why are people so cruel? Despite the smell of rotting flesh and the maggots on his head, she hugged him. He lay his head on her knee. All he wanted was love; someone to understand what he had gone through in his short life.


Watch Beano here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=dWbQXaK2Ozs%2024643848%7Dmid://00000299/%21x-usc:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPilXCEqJdI&feature=youtu.be

The vet on night shift came and looked at him and commented he was terribly thin. She looked at his huge wound and said she needed to sedate him to flush out the maggots and the chemical. It would have been too painful to clean without sedation. I requested that she flush his eyes too, in case the chemicals had also splashed on his eyes. Fellow volunteer, Lisa, rushed down to visit little Beano before he was sedated to have his wound cleaned. She cried when she set eyes on him. She too, knelt beside him, and kissed his little nose. Barely a year old, and life had not been kind to him.


Watch Beano here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPilXCEqJdI&feature=youtu.be

Beano is expected to be at the vet for at least a week to ten days, where his wound would be cleaned daily and maggots flushed out. We won’t be returning him to the streets as obviously, he would not survive. He is small in built, not like a typical local breed. He could easily live in a HDB apartment and be approved.

In the next day or so, we would need to decide if we want to leave his wound to slowly heal on its own, which may take up to two or three weeks, or to have him undergo a surgery to stitch up the wound. Either way, he would be left with physical scars of human abuse, but we hope, with our love and care, he won’t have scars of his emotional abuse.

I sense that he might have been kept as a pet and then abandoned as he walks very well on harness, from the night we rescued him, he knows “sit” and he loves treats.

Why do I open my heart to dogs in need? Especially when sometimes there is no more money, no more fosters and no more space to help. Every dog that crosses my path, I think of them as “my dogs” and I open my heart a little bigger, I stretch the money a little tighter, and I plead for just a little more room, a little more hope, to save one more dog. The gratitude and love that reflects in their eyes, is the best assurance that I did right, in the best way I know how and it reminds me to go on trying, to go on saving.

I feel good saving lives but I would feel even gooder if you would give sweet Beano a real life. He deserves to know love.

Beano is warded at Mt Pleasant Veterinary Centre (232 Whitley Road).  To foster, adopt or help with his vet bills, please email fiona@hopedogrescue.org