Kate’s Updates

What did your dog have when he was 5 years old? Love? Toys? Food? A family? For most, your dog was probably the center of your life, showered with love, food and perhaps the best that you can afford. As for our little furry friend, Kate, she was not so lucky. She grew up on the streets but was blessed to be found by Ailing, who then started feeding her every evening 3 years back and sterilized her so she would not be constantly giving birth to more homeless puppies. Sadly, Kate was hit by a fast moving vehicle on high impact, and dragged a short distance. Her right eye popped out of the socket and had to be removed during surgery, her jaw was fractured and she had multiple abrasions under her body.

Kate before her accident (pic from feeder, Ailing)

When Ailing went to feed her and realized she was missing, she asked around and was told that Kate had been taken by HOPE to the vet as she was badly hurt in an accident. Ailing then contacted us to find out more and to visit Kate at the vet. Ailing told us how sweet Kate is and that Kate is the only one among her pack to survive as she described the horrible traps that were set for Kate’s partner and daughter. Kate survived only because the workers shooed her away, but for her family, they weren’t as fortunate . . . . .

It's been 5 days after her surgery but Kate is still disorientated as she tries to cope with the loss of an eye, and will be at the vet for another 7 to 10 days before she feels well enough to be discharged. She can no longer live on the streets as her vision is impacted and it would pose more danger to her life. The other option is that she spends the rest of days living in a kennel and that really isn't a life, from freedom to being confined within 4 walls.

Ailing (feeder) visiting Kate at the vet

Face still swollen from the accident

Will any kind soul foster or adopt Kate? She is estimated to be about 4 to 5 years old, very sweet and mild tempered. She has been through hell and back, all she needs is love for her to recover, accept and learn to live with her disability. She is sterilized and healthy, although she isn't small enough for HDB living.

Thank you everyone who have helped with her vet bills, let's hope she doesn't need to undergo a jaw surgery. We will continue to provide updates on our Facebook page when there are changes to her condition.

If you can adopt / foster Kate, please email us at hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg 

Written by Ryan Chee

Shell Shocked

I have been volunteering for HOPE for a couple of months now. When I was asked to standby at the vet to check in for a new rescue, I didn’t think much of it. Kate was being transferred from the A&E.  After all, I have handled a couple of cases by now, but no amount of maggot wounds could prepare me for the scene I witnessed.

Kate’s eyeball had popped out and was dangling from her eye socket. There was blood everywhere; on her e-collar, in the carrier and blood continued to drip as I looked on. Our pet transport driver had to physically carry Kate into the clinic and she was in too much pain and shock to even move. She did not even struggle nor show any reactions. I stood shell shocked and could only hold the door open for him with my trembling hands.

The vet on duty examined her and said that her right eye could not be saved as it had been exposed for too long and was turning black. It would have to be removed during surgery and the socket stitched up.

X-rays were then carried out and it showed that Kate’s right jaw was fractured – this could have been caused by a high impact hit, so possibly a moving vehicle. However, they will not be operating on her jaw for now. Main priority would be to remove her right eyeball. As for her jaw fracture, they would put a muzzle on her to minimize her jaw movement and hope that her jaw would heal on its own in the next three days. If in three days’ time it does not heal, then she will require surgery to repair her fractured jaw. During her eye surgery, she will have a feeding tube inserted into her neck.

The x-ray also showed she has a misaligned vertebrae on his spine. This may or may not be caused by the accident. She could have been born that way but the vets will monitor this as well.

Her surgery will take place later today (Saturday) as she is still in shock. Her bill is estimated to be about $4500 for the eye surgery and one week’s stay. The jaw surgery is not included for now. We are hoping we can find a foster when she is discharged.

This is singularly the most traumatic and depressing moment I have experienced during my stint with Hope Dog Rescue. Can you imagine the pain and stress she is experiencing? I tried to put myself in her shoes. An eyeball dangling out of my eye socket with my face smashed and still trying to escape from

a bunch of well-meaning but scary humans for more than an hour while they tried to catch me and take me to the vet. When I was finally caught, I had to endure a long and rocky ride in pain.

This incident made me realise the importance of the role we play, even just as volunteers. However, we have our constraints too. Mounting bills incurred at the vet means we can no longer afford to rescue any more dogs. And no fostering / adoption also means no space to save more dogs.

But how can we say NO to Kate? When we saw her picture sent in by these two people who saw her,  our resolves melted. 

On behalf of our furry friends, we thank you for your help.

To help Kate, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg

Written by volunteer, Wendy Yeo

Dogs At The Vet

We may not always highlight or share the work we do because often we just have too many cases on hand and too little time to write about every case but what we do is almost round the clock, rescuing, sterilization, answering to calls for help etc.

Recently we have 6 dogs at the vet, for various reasons.

ASHLAN & MISHKA , the two little puppies with maggot wounds, rescued when they were just 6 weeks old. They are now about 2 months old, having stayed at the vet for the past 2 weeks. Their wounds have now healed and we are hoping that angels would come forth to adopt them, to save them from having to go back to living in the worksite.

Ashlan & Mishka. Look how tiny they are, all of 8 weeks.

Ashlan & Mishka for adoption (both males, 8 weeks old, healthy)

KOPI – a dog we feed and sterilized, from the industrial estates. A worker called to inform us that Kopi had not been eating for 2 days and that he was limping. Our volunteers went down after work to check on him and noticed many puncture wounds on both his hind legs. The wounds had pus and was badly infected. He was immediately taken to the vet where he underwent GA to flush out the pus. He is now warded at the vet till he is in a stable condition. He is still susceptible to septicemia and is under observation. Kopi is a young, tall, handsome lad with mesmerizing eyes. He is sweet and shy. He will be returned to the factory when he recovers and HOPE will continue to provide him and his furry friends with food on a weekly basis.

Kopi, puncture holes on both his hind legs

Kopi's one handsome lad

POLKA DOT & BLACK GIRL – two female factory dogs that we sterilized 2 weeks back. Usually after every sterilization, our volunteers will check on the dogs a few days later to ensure their wounds are healing well and that the dogs are fine. So when our volunteers went to check on their wounds, we noticed both of their wounds were red, raw and infected. Black Girl’s wound was slightly open! Both female dogs were immediately taken to the vet to be warded for a few days as where they live is muddy and dusty and we didn’t want to risk further infection. They will be on a course of 2 weeks antibiotics and when their wounds are drier, they will be returned to the factory. We would love to keep them till their wounds healed completely but unfortunately with 6 dogs at the vet, finances are an issue.

Black Girl's sterilization wound was infected and slightly open

Polka Dot's wound was raw and infected as well 

Gorgeous Polka Dot at the vet

Polka Dot is very sweet and affectionate, she looks like a Pointer and is a very rare, good looking street dog. She is young, perhaps slightly more than a year old although looking at her body, you can tell she has given birth at least once or twice. She would make a lovely pet and if anyone would like to give her a home, we would be more than happy to give her a good scrub (she is rather oily from living under trucks) and a complete medical check.

Look at those eyes!

DAWN – The 3-legged dog that we recently bailed out from AVA. Dawn has been warded at the vet for a few reasons;

Dawn leaving AVA

1)      She was very traumatized after her experience of being caught and held at AVA’s pound. She has not stopped trembling in fear.

2)      While at the vet, we noticed she peed blood and is now being treated for that.

3)      She had nowhere to go. We have not found a foster for her and we didn’t want to put her at the kennels for fear of traumatizing her further.

Dawn, at the vet. She is estimated to be about 8 or 9 years old

Dawn peed blood while she was at the vet

We will be featuring Dawn’s story in our next blog post, but for now, we would like to appeal for help with our vet bills. Presently, we owe $6000 in vet bills and that’s a pretty hefty sum. The clinic has been very kind and gracious in allowing us credit but we need your help before this amount escalates to an even scarier figure. We thank you all for all that you have done for us and our rescues. We would not have been able to give so many dogs a second chance without your support and compassion.

Here’s what we need help with :

1)     Adopt Ashlan and / or Mishka (unlikely to be HDB approved)

2)     Adopt Polka Dot (not HDB approved)

3)    Foster / adopt Dawn (she is a little wary of people and will try to snap but given space and time, she is alright. She needs a patient foster to teach her to learn to trust humans again)

4)      Help with vet bills

Please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg

Finding My Forever Home : Lulu’s Story

Sometimes, life leads you to the right decisions. I was missing having a dog in my house after my little JRT passed away at 16 years old. Life was easier but somehow it seemed something was missing in our small family of three. My friend A had recently adopted a beautiful cross breed pup, and then a few months later, an older dog with a great personality. I admired her magnanimity and  saw that her family really enjoyed having the dogs so much. At the same time, I was also looking around on the internet and had some dogs on short list. Lulu caught my eye because she was really pretty. What's more, the description of her personality as "a sweet and gentle disposition that endears her to anyone who meets her", "reserved and very well behaved", "undemanding" sounded perfect for me. Coincidentally, I then saw Lulu's picture on friend A's FB wall when she liked a post about Lulu by Hope Dog Rescue. I took that as a sign and made an enquiry. 

A few days later, volunteer, Lisa called to ask some questions and this was quickly followed by a house visit. Poor Lulu was so scared because there were 4 people from Hope, 3 from my family and 3 from next door (my sister's family) - we were all so excited to meet her. She spent the few hours with her tail between her legs, walking around nervously. 

The following week she came to stay. She was so easy to walk and followed me closely. She was not active, sleeping most of the day and her sad, soulful eyes held little spark. One morning, I woke up and she was not in the house and the patio door, open. Walking out, I smelt and saw poo everywhere. She had diarrhea and had somehow clawed open the aluminum patio door, jumped over the short gate and was stuck outside. There was poo on the patio and the little garden - but not a smudge of poo in the house or on her paws! She was really desperate not to dirty the inside of the house. What a considerate and clever dog.

For many weeks she basically kept to herself and minded her own business, only showing any interest when I came home with a shy wagging of tail (which was still mostly down).  The children were a little disappointed that they couldn't play with this dog - but this dog didn't know how to play. She was however very easy going with them, and put up with many hugs and squeezes. She was not much interested in food, and also wary of treats, so it was hard to coax her into doing anything. I reminded myself that she had lived on the streets her whole life.

After School Cuddles

Today after a year, she is quite different. She wags her tail excitedly to see us home, even my husband - whom she ignored for months! She greets the kids when the school bus drops them off, and she is always the first one they will want to kiss and hug. She loves sneaking to my sister's house next door for morsels of salmon skin, or the fat, chewy bits of roast beef. She has two families to love her, that's for sure. Some days, if she's in the mood, she'll even play catch with you! Still, she is very much her own dog, indulging you only if she feels like it. Many a time, we still see a lot of sadness in her eyes.

After Bath Snack

Are we glad we got her? Definitely. We've always had a dog in our family and it just seemed a natural thing to complete the family. My child who sometimes laments being an only child is happy to have a dog for a sister (I suspect, for an 8 year old boy, this is way cooler than having a human baby sister!). We may not always know what to do, or what is normal behavior for a former street dog adjusting to a home, so many thanks to god-ma Lisa for being available to support us on that.

Lulu watching world cup Argentina vs Belgium with the boys

Written by : Hong May Kong (Lulu’s forever Mommy)

Note from HOPE : Adopting an adult or senior street dog is rather different from adopting a puppy. A puppy may never know how tough it is living on the streets. An adult street dog would have survived accidents, dog fights, abuse, starvation and endured sun and rain just to make it through the day. Thus, when you adopt them, a lot of patience is required. Many of them come "fresh from the streets". They have never been in a car, a lift, or a home. They might be terrified of a leash / collar because they may have been caught previously or dislike the feeling of being choked. They may be scared of certain family members or sounds and try to bolt. Some don't even know how to drink from a water bowl because they have drank from puddles on the roads all their lives.

Adopting an adult or senior street dog is extremely rewarding. It might be challenging as well, and lots of patience and understanding is needed, but the rewards from seeing them learn to adapt and eventually realize that they finally have love, home, regular meals and a forever roof, is something money can't buy and that is priceless.

Irresponsible Owner

Imagine this: someone you know has been diagnosed with a tumor. Imagine that the patient was then denied medical treatment, his condition ignored and allowed to fester for almost half a year. As horrifying as it may sound, this is what happened to a patient named Kristy. However, Kristy isn't a person. Kristy is a dog, but the agony of what she has gone through remains very real indeed.

Kristy had a mammary tumor. Her owner, Shantee, contacted us in a panic and asked us for help. She asked for a loan and promised to pay us back in installments. Kristy arrived at the vet listless, running a temperature caused by the infection of a lump on her chest that had just ruptured. The owner claimed that the rupture happened 'a couple of days ago', but the vet's observation was prolonged mistreatment.

The huge tumour on the poor small dog

Imagine the foul, rotting smell from this ruptured tumour 

Our volunteers who met Shantee and Kristy at the vet reported a vile stench that lingered in the clinic even after Kristy had left: the result of a horrific infection. Due to the instability of Kristy's condition, the vet had her warded and placed on a drip, advising two days of treatment and cleansing of her infection. They operated on Kristy on the third day, and the lump was finally removed and sent for cancer tests in UK laboratories.

Shantee had used her sari as a bandage for her dog!

There was milk from one of the dog's nipples

Kristy, who is estimated to be about about 8 years old, was also sterilised during the same surgery. According to the vet, dogs who are not sterilised are prone to developing cancer cells that form tumors. While operations are possible, they are costly and painful. Also, tumors often reoccur in spite of repeated removal, eventually spreading to vital organs such as the lungs, resulting in death.

Chemotherapy is available for dogs, but its treatment is completely different from that of humans. Each session can be highly uncomfortable and stressful for dogs and treatments are scheduled on a weekly basis, with each session costing approximately S$200. Unfortunately, chemotherapy as a treatment has a low success rate.

It is unfortunate that not many dog owners are educated about the importance of sterilisation and that spaying at an early age considerably reduces the risk of mammary tumors in female dogs. Ideally, dogs should be sterilised between the age of 6 months to a year old.

Shantee and her husband carrying Kristy outside the vet

Kristy

In the case of Kristy, the damage has been done. We can only educate the owner, but the rest is up to her. Kristy was discharged after 10 days at the vet and her whopping bill of $1700 was left unpaid by Shantee who claimed they did not have sufficient funds to pay. They offered to repay us $50 per month but to date we have not received any payment and don't think we ever will, but how could we have let Kristy suffer because of her irresponsible owner?


Written by Michelle Chan

Black Puppies (Arslan and Mishka)

My name is Tonya and I have recently started volunteering for HOPE Dog Rescue. As of my first volunteering experience with Sida I have instantaneously fallen in love with the dogs and the pups HOPE rescued from the industrial estates. I felt honoured to be able to help those lovely and gentle creatures, who each have their own unique personalities and all personify the term “man’s best friend”.

Earlier this week I had my first opportunity to participate in the rescue of two stray puppies which were badly injured and had wounds infested with maggots. The puppies were brought to us by a very kind gentleman who is working in the industrial estate. We understand that he and his colleagues were looking after the puppies and their mum at their work site, providing them with food and as much care as they can possibly offer. Unfortunately they were not able to help the puppies with the injuries and some of the puppies didn’t survive. However they were quick to contact HOPE Dog Rescue to try and save the remaining pups.  So that’s how I got to meet two adorable balls of fur.

The puppies are very young, having barely opened their eyes. Both are boys - little brothers from the same litter. We estimated them being less than one month old. Despite being so little, they had very bad, deep wounds on their backs and bellies. We were advised that the injuries had to be at least two weeks old. Two adorable babies were virtually eaten alive by the maggots. It was very hard to watch the puppies suffer so much.

Fortunately they got taken into the care of the vet in good time, who have cleaned the wounds as much as possible, using antibiotics and putting them on a drip. The chances of the puppies’ survival are higher now. Even to me, a non-professional and an absolute amateur with animals, the puppies looked much better after two days at the vet. They looked very lively and energetic, eager to play with people and being quite noisy. They seem to eat really well now, which increases their chances of survival. However it is essential for them to stay in a safe and clean environment, at least at the beginning, to exclude any chances of infection penetrating the wounds. The puppies are very small and might not be able to fight it well.

What I found very surprising is that even at this early stage you could see their personalities and characters coming through. They obviously had a bond between the two of them. Despite being brothers they have different characters, one is a vocal and demanding little chap and another one calmer and more affectionate little boy.  We named them Arslan and Mishka. These names were suggested by myself and are courtesy of my background. I’m an ethnic Russian, who grew up in Central Asia. Hence the names. Arslan means Tiger in Turkic culture, whereas Mishka is an affectionate Russian name for a bear. I do hope that the names will define their future in a way, I hope both of them will grow to be strong, yet gentle dogs and will become somebody’s best friend and protector.

This brings me to the main purpose of my story. I would love for these two adorable little creatures to find a loving and caring home. They are at this perfect age now, where they can adapt well within a family and become amazing pets. I’m sure that they will bring a lot of joy and happiness into somebody’s life and they really need your help NOW. I want you to look beyond the fact that the puppies are black. Being a stranger to Singaporean culture, I was shocked to find out that there is a belief that a black animal brings bad luck. I understand that many cultures have similar superstitions, for example Russians believe that it’s bad luck if a black cat crosses your way. I am Russian and I had a black cat in my house for a number of years. Once my cat was in my house, nothing bad happened. In fact my lovely girl was a protector and a charm for good luck to my family in a way. She was an amazing pet and I was honoured to have her in my home. So in her memory and in the attempt to prove those superstitions to be wrong, I’m asking for your help. If not Singaporeans, then fellow expats, would you please save the lives of two amazing puppies, which are proud to be black!!! In return I’m sure they will become your lucky charms and bring you loads of joyful moments!!!

There is no good deed that is too small! We will also appreciate any help with their veterinary bills or adopting them. Please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg 

Written by Tonya Gibbs

Note from HOPE : These puppies will be at the vet for another week or so, before returning to the work site when their wounds have completely healed. Sadly, HOPE can no longer take in any more dogs as we have 16 dogs in our charge, some of which have been in commercial boarding for more than a year. Bearing in mind we also have quite a number of handicapped dogs, a deaf and blind dog, dogs with health issues and these dogs will probably never be adopted. We don’t have the capacity or the financial means to keep these puppies. We feel sad and apologize for this decision, but our hands are tied. Without rehoming some of our dogs, we can no longer take in dogs.

It is still too early to tell if Arslan and Mishka will be HDB approved.

Adopt Elmo

Are you wondering what Elmo has been up to? 

According to Dy Ly of ARC, Elmo has come a long way. His weight has doubled since his initial rescue and he now weighs a healthy 14kg. He can now be fed just one proper meal a day as compared to when we first rescued him and was feeding him many small meals throughout the day as he was a walking skeleton.

Elmo when he was first rescued. Look how skinny he was! The third picture is Elmo as he is today.

He gets on very comfortably, despite being almost deaf and blind. Elmo's hearing is perhaps only 15%, based on the present foster's guess. He can react to high pitched sounds like whistling and screaming. But early in the morning, when it’s very quiet and the foster is preparing his breakfast, he will get up and wait for his breakfast as if he could hear the food being prepared.

Elmo's sight seems to have improved slightly, although he will never have good vision. We think he can see blurred images when things are close to him. When someone approaches Elmo, he will turn to face in their direction.

Well, realistically, he's probably just reacting to scents and/or vibrations. But whatever method it is that Elmo uses to guide himself, he seems to have honed it well. He seems to thrive best when he is in a quiet and calm environment. When he is outdoors, his senses don't work as well. All the other outdoor distractions probably make it difficult for Elmo to focus on particular scents or vibrations.

Elmo has nice golden fur growing out, making him look like a kiwi fruit

To cope with his disabilities, Elmo has a good memory. He remembers where obstacles are and avoids them. Sometimes, he scratches himself, more as a bad habit rather than because of an itch. The e-collar that he wears not only prevents him from scratching, but also serves as a shield to protect his face and head from banging into things. He recognizes the scent of his foster home, and after walks in the neighborhood, he will know where to turn into his foster home.

Even his rat's tail now looks so cute with golden fur

He is a creature of habit, so having a fixed routine is important. Feeding at the same time and place, walking the same routes etc., will all make it easier for Elmo to familiarize himself with his new life and adapt better.

At first, Elmo didn't know how to open his mouth to pant like a normal dog. Thus, his body would heat up when he went on walks or outings, and the fosters and volunteers would have to ice him down after. Now, after ___ months, Elmo at least knows to open his mouth, although he still doesn't really pant much, even after long walks or runs. The foster helps him to cool down by feeding him ice cubes and wiping his body and face with a wet towel.

Elmo loves his fruits. His foster will usually feed him fruits, followed by ice cubes. Clever Elmo knows to wait and expect ice cubes after having fruits. One time, the foster combined the fruits and ice cubes in his food dish together, and he seemed to still expect to be fed more ice cubes after polishing off the mixture. What a cute little fella!

Caring for Elmo
Elmo is extremely easy to care for. He is easily contented and easy to please. He is a good boy and hardly barks. He spends the day sleeping while you are at work. After a good meal and a belly rub, he likes to play tug of war with his chew toy before heading off to bed. Yes! He has now learnt how to play!

Elmo, 3rd from left, at the Star Vista mall for the Cesar Millan event in April 2014

Amanda and Josephine with Elmo

Despite having many disabilities, Elmo is a friendly and sociable dog, He wags his tail whenever any person or dog approaches him. He doesn't seem very interested in meeting other dogs and often seems like he is in a world of his own, perhaps due to his loss of sight and hearing.

Elmo tends to gobble his food in large mouthfuls, possibly because he had been grossly starved or the fact that he can't see his food. So watch out for those fingers of yours when you feed him by hand!

During his walks, Elmo likes to pick things up to eat, so you need to be careful and alert. He seems to like eating flowers and leaves, which leads us to speculate that he had been abandoned in a dense forest and was eating plants to survive before he was found by rescuers.

Elmo is already outdoor potty-trained and has hardly had any toilet accidents in his foster home. Amazing, isn't he?

Adopt Elmo! A foster is only temporary. Elmo needs a permanent home, a family of his own. Would you adopt Elmo? He is HDB-Approved under Project ADORE.

To adopt Elmo, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg