Another stray from the same factory had been hit by a lorry on Friday night and this time, it’s even worse. A worker, who was sitting on the pavement outside the factory calling home, witnessed the dog being hit by a speeding lorry, rolled over and flung on the road. The lorry sped off. The dog never ever stood up after that. The worker rushed to carry her and brought her back to the factory, where he informed Yongyurt, whom he knew was the dog’s guardian and caregiver.
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| SiDa lying on the factory grounds after the accident, unable to move |
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| Yongyurt putting SiDa in a carrier |
They fed the dog food and water but she was in too much pain and hardly ate. Yongyurt had lost our contact numbers and did not know how to help his dog. However, he knew that we would always be present for our usual Saturday stray feeding, so on Saturday night, a few of the workers stood guard outside the factory, waiting for us to appear to feed the dogs. As soon as we arrived, he told us what had happened. He told us he had given the dog food and water while it was lying down as it was unable to stand up.
It was close to midnight when we could finally get a carrier for the injured dog. With the help of Yongyurt, we managed to get SiDa, as Yongyurt had named her, into the carrier. SiDa means 4 eyes in Thai, which reflects the dog’s facial markings. The workers at the factory tend to pamper and over feed their dogs, telling us that they always look hungry. So it actually required a bit of effort to lift SiDa as she weighs about 33kg for a young dog less than 3 years of age!
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| Off to the A&E |
It was close to midnight when we could finally get a carrier for the injured dog. With the help of Yongyurt, we managed to get SiDa, as Yongyurt had named her, into the carrier. SiDa means 4 eyes in Thai, which reflects the dog’s facial markings. The workers at the factory tend to pamper and over feed their dogs, telling us that they always look hungry. So it actually required a bit of effort to lift SiDa as she weighs about 33kg for a young dog less than 3 years of age!
We put the carrier at the back of a friend’s pick-up truck and told Yongyurt to come along with us to the emergency hospital. It seemed like a horrific replay of what happened back in March. While the vet did a physical examination of SiDa, Yongyurt was by her side, patting and comforting her, speaking to her in Thai. The vet also did an X-ray for SiDa, which wasn’t very clear due to the inability to position SiDa properly and also the fact that she was a big girl. The initial results showed that SiDa seemed to have internal bleeding with a terribly swollen chest, her ribs and tail bone were broken and the vet suspected that her bladder had already ruptured.
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| Arriving at the hospital |
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| Grazed on the road |
SiDa was given painkillers and put on drip to stabilize her condition. By the time this has all ended, it was already 2.30am and we gave some money for Yongyurt to take a taxi back to the factory, which he reluctantly accepted. We could tell how Yongyurt did not want to leave as he loves SiDa and his other factory dogs so much. He told us he would buy beef and cook for them to eat before he leaves for work at 6.30am. He would also give them 5 pieces of roti prata (which in our opinion is definitely not healthy for the dogs, but we understand his loving intentions and have reminded him to cut down on these unhealthy food).
At 8am the next morning, we were informed by the vet that SiDa had been panting quite badly and that they would also be transferring her to the day clinic where more x-rays would be taken for her under sedation.
During another round of physical examinations, the vet used a clamp on SiDa’s back paws. However, SiDa had no reaction to the clamping, which left us very demoralized as it meant that SiDa’s injuries were very severe, there were no sensations in her nerves. We got really distraught and worried as it reminded us of Matthieu.
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| X-rays showed that her spine was totally displaced. She was hit by a lorry and run over as well. |
We went to the clinic to speak to the vet that evening and was told that they had missed out something while reading the x-rays. That Sida actually had a broken spine and they didn’t notice it earlier on. With that, we were told that a CT scan was no longer necessary and the x-ray clearly showed that she would forever be paralyzed.
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| This is how she spends her days |
SiDa is now on a catheter and has not eaten or defecated since Friday night. She is unable to move and only able to turn her head occasionally. Her hind legs are swollen from the impact of the accident with no sensation at all. This does not seem optimistic as the vet said that even a spinal surgery will not be able to help if the dog is not able to feel anything, which meant that the dog may be paralyzed forever.
It was recommended that it would be more humane to put her down as a spinal injury is the most painful of all injuries.
But we wanted to get more opinions so we made an appointment for SiDa to see an orthopedic specialist who after doing a physical examination and looking at the x-rays, also concluded that a surgery was not recommended because even with a surgery, she would still be unable to walk or stand. He didn't think the surgery was justifiable and he too recommended that it was more humane to put her down as there was no quality of life. She would be living with a catheter, relying on people to clear her bladder every 4 hours, flipped over to avoid bed sores, urine burns... it was a slow, painful death.
All these days, SiDa has been lying in her cage, not moving, not eating, nor drinking. She stares at the corner of the cage all day and as she sleeps, her body jerks in spasms. We were told this is an uncontrolled movement caused by her spinal bone and cord damage.
We have cooked and brought all her favourite food but to no avail. She is very hungry and thirsty but she only wants HER Yongyurt to be with her and feed her.
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| Refusing food |
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| Yongyurt, her best friend in the whole wide world |
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| SiDa and Yongyurt |
Watch SiDa's reaction to her favourite worker, Yongyurt.
Last night we managed to get the DR’s permission and make an exception for Yongyurt to visit SiDa at 11pm at night, way after closing hours and after his work. A volunteer had gone down to his factory to pick him up. When he arrived, he called out to SiDa 3 times before she realized that her dream came true, her Yongyurt was really there to visit her and she struggled to turn around to face him. He fed her some beef and she ate and licked his hand and drank water from his hand. That moment, there was not a dry eye in the clinic. We were touched by SiDa’s love and loyalty for her guardian. We could sense that Yongyurt was sad too and we kept explaining to him in the simplest terms, what was wrong with SiDa.
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| On the way to see the orthopedic specialist |
We asked if he could care for her if we sent her back to the factory. We could see he wanted to have her back but he shook his head sadly and said he wouldn't have time. He leaves for work at 6.30am and doesn't end till 8pm and sometimes has to work overtime.
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| Being examined by the orthopedic specialist |
Throughout this ordeal, SiDa has remained strong, bearing the pain in silence. All SiDa wants is to run again, to play with her favourite doggy friend in the factory, to play with the workers again. To run on the grass and see the blue skies. She misses the workers smile, their food and their smell.
All she wants is to be with “her owner” again. She misses him terribly.
SiDa was heartbroken when we told her she may never return to the factory to be with the workers and her doggy friends anymore. But all she says is she wants to be with him.
Then there was a flashback and she showed lights from a vehicle coming to her and smashing into her.
SiDa misses the birds chirping, the grass patch that she used to play on and says she will wait for the worker to bring her food. She doesn't want anyone else or anyone’s food.
And most of all, she wants to feel her tail wag again...
Sida’s tailbone and spine was broken in the accident when an irresponsible lorry driver smashed into her. She will never stand or walk again, and she will never be able to wag her tail.
