Scotty’s Update

Showered with love and care, Scotty is making good progress in his recovery. He is now happier and stronger compared to the day he was found and rescued. =)


Happy to have been saved

When we first brought him in to the vet, we really thought he was not going to pull through due to his heartworm condition and his severe ear injury. We had even contemplated letting  him leave peacefully to ease him of all his pain and misery. Yet, we had a strong hunch his time was not up - he wants to live on. No way were we going to end an innocent life and deprive him of the chance to live and be loved again.

The very next day after Scotty was warded, HOPE volunteers prepared home-cooked food for him. He simply gobbled it down in a matter of seconds and even went for 2nd and 3rd rounds of the food. He was ravenous! This must be the first time in his life that he tasted such delicious food.

He’s currently on Heartgard for his heartworm treatment, and the wound at his ear still requires daily medical attention and a change of bandage twice daily. We were told by the clinic assistant that 3 people were required when changing his bandage - one to hold his head, one to hold his body, and one to clean his wound. Such a strong boy!

This wound on his back has since dried and healed

There are thick layers of bandage around his head and ear that causes him to keep scratching and shaking his head to ease the discomfort.  Thus, we had to put an e-collar on him. Sadly, Scotty’s left ear is permanently damaged and will remain deaf for the rest of his life.

Poor Scotty is now deaf in his left ear

Scotty has lived in a filthy and cramped condition for the last 10 years yet we discovered he has trained himself to keep his living area clean. He used his paw to push open the unlatched cage, came out to ease himself, and then went straight back into the cage. It looked smart, but in actual fact it was a sad scene. It simply told us that that was his life at the fish farm - no love, no freedom; a caged life.

Comes out of his cage to ease himself

Each time when HOPE volunteers visited him, he would wag his tail with such eagerness, welcoming us and reach out to us through the cage yearning for our touch. Seeing his trust in us just makes us more resolved to help sweet Scotty.

Loving all our visits

Look at the cheeky face

Scotty’s life is still at risk as he has yet to undergo the full heartworm treatment - which may prove too strong for him and he may not survive it. In spite of this, we HOPE and believe for the best! Nothing will stop us from giving him all the love and care that he deserves while he still has a breath.

Strays are really hardy creatures with a strong will to survive and are able to endure hardships extremely well. When I first found him, I didn’t hear a single whine from him although the maggots had eaten away almost half of his ear. For Scotty, every day for the last 10 years was all about survival. Thankfully he’s finally out of it, out of that living hell.

Scotty’s road to recovery will be a long journey as the wound at his ear and his heartworm condition is too severe. His medical bill is snowballing everyday as his treatment is quite extensive and he is required to recuperate at the clinic for the next month or so. Continuous support is required to sustain his life and medical bills so as to give him the chance to live again. He is now in safe hands and we hope not to have to return him to the fish farm anymore, if someone is willing to adopt him.

Thank you for saving me!

SPCA is still investigating the case but till now we’ve not received any feedback from them. It’s taking a tad bit too long since they already have all the required evidence. We hope to see justice carried out for Scotty’s suffering for the past 10 years.

Written by Phoebe Lim, Photography by Esther Low