Matthieu The Miracle Dog

I don’t cry easily. Not because I am numb to the plight of the dogs I rescue almost on a daily basis, but over the years, it has become almost like a “job”. I rescue, take them to the vet and when they recover, our team of volunteers try their best to find homes for them. If that is not a possibility, then the dogs either go back to where they came from, or to the kennels. Kennels are not our favourite place. Staying at the kennels is not a life. I do feel sad when I see their pain and suffering, but feeling sad does not help the dogs.

Being a street dog is not easy. They have to fend for themselves, look for food and shelter. They get attacked, abused, bullied and hurt. Life is difficult for a normal healthy stray. Imagine how Matthieu lived. Old, paralysed from the waist down, he hung on to life for more than 2 weeks, waiting for us to come for him. He hid under a trailer, dragging his emaciated body on rough gravel; he reeked of pee when we found him, was terribly dehydrated, muscles wasting away, abrasions and huge wounds all over his body but mainly on his left side as that was the side that he dragged himself on. His testicle was swollen to more than 3 times its normal size and it was filled with maggots. Imagine the pain, suffering and discomfort. Now imagine what a survivor Matthieu is.

Hardship written all over his face

Let me tell you about this courageous dog, Matthieu (meaning Gift of God). We don’t know much about his past but looking at his face, it sure has not been easy. All we know is that a kind Muslim man, Mr Aziz, has been feeding him for almost 3 years, buying plain bread for the stray dogs living around his workplace. He says that’s all he can afford and he can’t stop work because he needs to feed them. Needless to say, we are touched by his kind gesture. Mr Aziz had asked his daughter to seek help for Matthieu, whom he said suddenly could not walk. It was almost a week later when his daughter managed to find HOPE and wrote in to us. Almost 10 days from the day Matthieu stopped walking, that we managed to coordinate the rescue, took the day off from work and went to help.

I often write stories about the lives and plights of these street dogs who don’t have it easy. Today, I decided that no amount of writing will do Matthieu justice, not even a fraction. One can never imagine how hard a life these street dogs have. Never.

Watch this 4 minute video clip on Matthieu’s rescue and you would understand his courage and will to live.

Mattieu the Miracle Dog

Matthieu is warded at The Animal Doctors, where he collapsed in exhaustion and relief. After checking him, Dr Chee commented that Matthieu was such a survivor.

Maggot infested testicle.
Dr Chee was concerned maggots had done grave internal damage and he would never be able to pee again.

Apart from being terribly dehydrated, emaciated, having abrasions and open wounds on many parts of his body, Matthieu seems to be paralyzed from the waist down. Xray reveals that he has a crack on his spine. God has watched over Matthieu, he still has some sensation in his toes, he seems to be able to poo on his own, so that function has not been affected. He has a catheter inserted as maggots have gone into his scrotum and the catheter is to help him pee. He is free from tick fever and heartworm. His white blood count is slightly elevated but this is usually caused by stress and infection. He has undergone an emergency surgery to remove his entire scrotum. There was a risk but it was maggot infested and didn’t leave us much choice. 

Matthieu's body was covered with oil

He is exhausted and has spent his days sleeping. He seems to prefer lying on his left so vet nurses need to constantly flip him over to his right as he is now developing bed sores. Extra towels and padding have been put under him to relieve his pain. Dr Chee is monitoring Matthieu and when his condition stabilizes, we will arrange for him to see a bone specialist to find out if his paralysis is just temporary.

Wounds and abrasions from dragging himself on the rough gravel

Go visit Matthieu. He craves for your love and pats. Give him a hug, a kiss and tell him he is now safe, everything will be alright. He is expected to stay at the vet for some weeks.

Contributors : Lisa Goh, Esther Low and Leslie Kok

Note : HOPE has arranged to have dog kibbles and canned food delivered to Mr Aziz on a monthly basis so he can feed the dogs and not worry about food or money. We are also planning to sterilize as many dogs as we can in that vicinity.

We thank The Animal Doctors for their passion and care for all our rescue dogs.