Meet Timothy. He has just undergone a surgery to tuck in his prolapsed rectum. As we would very much like to be able to keep Timothy at the vet for another two weeks for observation and after-surgery care, we are appealing to you, our readers, for help in footing Timothy's surgery and hospitalization bill. Please email alicia@hopedogrescue.org should you wish to make a contribution.
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| Meet Timothy! |
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| "Please help me." |
Timothy is a fighter, but he has gone through so much pain for such a long time. It's a miracle that he still remains so optimistic and sweet. He is extremely friendly and lovable, and has a never-ending supply of patience when being treated, even without sedation or anesthesia.
The following story was contributed by the lady who first saw him. She was the one who saved him, and didn't give up on him despite their ongoing troubles over a large part of the year. HOPE had initially wanted to slow down operations as we are, once again, low on funds with 13 dogs to rehome. But the lady's determination and perseverance, as well as the dog's courage and will to survive, was truly inspiring. We decided that we would do all that we could to help.
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| Sweet timothy has lovely eyes and cute little ears. |
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| He has white fur on his muzzle but the Vet estimates him to be about 4 to 5 years old. |
Background
The lady first saw him on a golf course in Dec 2012. She works in office support at the club and doesn't have a lot of spare cash, but she saw how skinny the dog was and noticed that he was dripping blood, so she rushed out to help. It has been more than 6 months of vets, kennels and farms, and she has spent thousands on helping the poor dog recover. Despite her good intentions, however, things have just gotten from bad to worse. The dog has been suffering from rectal prolapse (http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/digestive/c_multi_rectal_prolapse#.Ug3uapKw18E) and the doctor says that it's the worst case they've ever seen.
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| Look at his anus protruding. |
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| It was maggot infested. |
Her account
Timothy was first spotted lingering along the corridor of our golf club, in the upstairs corridor, by my cleaning supervisor in late December 2012. Timothy's anus had one big portion jutting out with blood dripping along when he moved around. He was very skinny and hungry. Immediately I gave him some dog food. He ate very very quickly and was very obedient. I tied him to a corner in the toilet corridor. But unfortunately, my general manager saw him and told me to call SPCA to take him away. I knew that once SPCA took him, he would die. So, secretly, I called a commercial boarding kennel for help. I put him in the kennel first, then arranged to send him to see a vet.
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| Timothy was dripping blood and poo. |
He went to a vet in Jurong on 3 Jan 2013. He had rectal prolapse. His anus had come out, caused by long term diarrhea and straining when pooping. It was the start of a long string of visits. He was in and out of the vet clinic since then. 16 Jan, 28 Jan, 29 Jan, 3 Feb, and 21 Mar, again and again. It had already been four months. He was still not okay.
The boarding kennel staff complained to me that in one day, they had to wash the place 20 times, whenever Timothy pooped a bit here and there. But I kept paying them extra and persuading them to help to accommodate Timothy at the boarding kennel, as my workplace was exposed to open air and not suitable for Timothy. The trees attracted flies, which would make his condition worse.
Then the bad news came. The vet at the Jurong clinic gave up, and said that he could no longer help any more. He asked me to bring him to another vet. Again, he went to the vet on 17 Apr, 20 Apr, 24 Apr and 7 May. Then the head vet suggested that we conduct an ultrasound scan. After he did the ultrasound scan, he gave Timothy a strict diet. He was to take just one yogurt serving, one egg, one tofu and some rice. We tried the diet at the boarding kennel, but it didn't work. He still strained to poo and the blood came out again. I was very sad.
Finally, in end July, I was able to get a contractor to construct a small kennel to accommodate Timothy. On 5 Aug, I brought Timothy back to the newly built dog kennel. But it didn't help. He still continued to strain whenever he pooped. The worst thing was that our garden had flies. Maggots started getting into his prolapsed rectum. More and more maggots went into his anus, and eventually I had to rush him to the vet at Mt Pleasant where he has been staying until now. Someone told me to contact HOPE and I called Lisa.
The boarding kennel staff complained to me that in one day, they had to wash the place 20 times, whenever Timothy pooped a bit here and there. But I kept paying them extra and persuading them to help to accommodate Timothy at the boarding kennel, as my workplace was exposed to open air and not suitable for Timothy. The trees attracted flies, which would make his condition worse.
Then the bad news came. The vet at the Jurong clinic gave up, and said that he could no longer help any more. He asked me to bring him to another vet. Again, he went to the vet on 17 Apr, 20 Apr, 24 Apr and 7 May. Then the head vet suggested that we conduct an ultrasound scan. After he did the ultrasound scan, he gave Timothy a strict diet. He was to take just one yogurt serving, one egg, one tofu and some rice. We tried the diet at the boarding kennel, but it didn't work. He still strained to poo and the blood came out again. I was very sad.
Finally, in end July, I was able to get a contractor to construct a small kennel to accommodate Timothy. On 5 Aug, I brought Timothy back to the newly built dog kennel. But it didn't help. He still continued to strain whenever he pooped. The worst thing was that our garden had flies. Maggots started getting into his prolapsed rectum. More and more maggots went into his anus, and eventually I had to rush him to the vet at Mt Pleasant where he has been staying until now. Someone told me to contact HOPE and I called Lisa.
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| He's eating very well, but is still skinny. His body isn't absorbing nutrients. |
HOPE's story
We were hesitant to take over the case. A case is not as simple as just footing the vet bill and providing advice, it's also about worrying for the dog’s future and making sure that he will be safe for the rest of his life. We have to take charge of everything, from post-surgery aftercare to seeing through the fostering and adoption processes. With our increasingly limited funds and the other 13 dogs for which we have yet to find homes, we had our hands full. But we just couldn't turn down this case as the poor dog had already been suffering since December last year! Both the lady and the dog had already faced so many difficulties; we didn't want to be another dead end for them. We didn't want their stoic optimism to falter. We had to help.
We were hesitant to take over the case. A case is not as simple as just footing the vet bill and providing advice, it's also about worrying for the dog’s future and making sure that he will be safe for the rest of his life. We have to take charge of everything, from post-surgery aftercare to seeing through the fostering and adoption processes. With our increasingly limited funds and the other 13 dogs for which we have yet to find homes, we had our hands full. But we just couldn't turn down this case as the poor dog had already been suffering since December last year! Both the lady and the dog had already faced so many difficulties; we didn't want to be another dead end for them. We didn't want their stoic optimism to falter. We had to help.
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| The day after his surgery. |
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| Can you see his surgical scars? |
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| His stitches up close |
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| No longer in pain! |
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| This is the first time that he's been able to sit in more than 6 months. |
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| Timothy loves humans, and he loves being patted. |
It also appears that his body is unable to absorb nutrients because he remains a bag of bones, although he is eating very well. We suspect that he may have cancer. The vet had collected tissue samples for testing from the small and large intestine during Timothy's surgery, and we're waiting for the test results to come back. We're hoping for good news. The most heartening thing in all of this is that his results from basic blood tests for heart-worm and tick fever, and tests for kidney and liver functions, all came back normal.
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| He's still skin and bones, despite eating well. |
We would really appreciate any help with the following:
- Vet bills. Please help us pay for Timothy's surgery and hospital stay.
- Fostering. If anyone is able to foster Timothy after he is discharged, we would be eternally grateful. A fosterer would have to help Timothy with recovery and ensuring that he receives the adequate post-surgery aftercare.
- Adoption. The best thing for Timothy would be to have a stable, loving home for the rest of his life. The doctor estimates him to be about 4 or 5. He has been dirty and in pain all his life, but he is incredibly sweet and so grateful to be saved. We'd like for him to have a chance at a comfortable life, and it would be amazing if he could finally have a real home.
Please email Alicia@hopedogrescue.org if you are able to help. Also, please help to share Timothy's story to increase his chances of finding a home!
Written by Elena Lin
