In The Nick Of Time (Ah Mei)

On one of our feeding rounds, volunteers noticed a dog with her left eye closed and swollen. They were unable to get near and suspected the eye was badly infected. Our memories were still fresh from Kate’s gruesome eye wound and we prayed this doggy wouldn’t lose her sight.

Ah Mei's left eye, bloodshot and badly infected.

One of our volunteers, Jozelle, made some enquiries and managed to locate the feeder that informed us about this dog. Apparently this dog, named Ah Mei, lived in the same factory as SiDa. So we called SiDa’s previous caregiver, Yongyhurt, to find out more.

Terrified of being in a new place

Yongyhurt told us that Ah Mei had been involved in a dog fight 2 to 3 weeks back and her left eye lid had been torn off during the fight. When asked why he didn’t call us for help, he said there was no need to as she could not see anymore. In actual fact, Ah Mei could still see but because the eye lid was torn off, she was in a lot of pain thus she kept her eye closed. Because she did not have the eye lid to protect her eye, dirt and dust particles had gone in, causing her eye to swell and become badly infected. Imagine the pain this sweet little dog went through for so many weeks!

Having her eye examined at the vet

We arranged with Yongyhurt’s colleague to help us catch her and booked a pet transport to ferry her to the vet, as Yongyhurt worked from 5.30am to 8pm and was not around to help us.

HOPE’s responsibility, when we feed strays, is to also educate foreign workers on the importance of sterilization, as well as educating these workers on how to care for the dogs on their compounds. Often, because they come from different parts of the world, their quality of care is very different from ours.

When Ah Mei arrived at the vet, she was terrified of being surrounded by strangers and being in a new environment. She panicked and tried to escape. Fortunately we held on to her. Our hearts were in our mouths! She was so petrified she pooed when we carried her into the consult room. She was in such great distress that she backed into a corner and looked at us with doleful eyes.

The torn eyelid on her left eye meant that her eye was not able to close fully, thus her eye wouldn’t be lubricated and would be exposed to dust. There is chance that her tear duct may be damaged, but we will only know for sure after further tests. Her left eye is blood-red and filled with pus. We thank God for small mercies as her cornea is undamaged and she still has sight in the affected eye. However, the vet mentioned, if left unattended and with constant exposure to dirt, her cornea will turn black gradually and she will eventually lose her sight. We’re thankful for our volunteers who keep a look out for these dogs during their weekly feeding sessions. 

Finger points to the area where Ah Mei's eye lid has been torn off

Ah Mei has been warded at the vet and her left eye will be operated on today (Saturday) to realign her eyelid to allow her to close it properly. She will then need to either stay at a vet or foster home for 10 days while her wound heals and her stitches can be removed. She won’t be allowed to return to the factory till her eye has completely healed, lest it gets infected again. Her eye reconstructive surgery is expected to cost $2000, excluding the 10 day stay at the vet.

You may ask why we constantly spend thousands on street dogs . . . . but why not? These street dogs already have it hard. They live on the streets, they have to fend for themselves, get attacked by other dogs and are exposed to dangers daily. Imagine if Ah Mei had to live with one blind eye when a surgery could help. How would she cope with one eye? Her life would be in grave danger as she wouldn’t even be able to see cars coming from her left! If $2000 can make them pain free, happier and more comfortable again, why not?

Thank God her right eye was not injured

We would, of course, love to rehome these sweet darlings but to date, we still have 14 dogs in our charge, some of whom have been waiting 2 years for a home. We can’t possibly take in any more.

We would like to thank our donors, supporters and fellow dog lovers for your unwavering support which allows us to continuously rescue and aid these poor doggies who will otherwise have no access to medical care. Due to an overwhelming number of cases recently, we seek your help in assisting with their vet bills. Other than rescuing injured street dogs, we are also providing long term care for our other rescued dogs such as Buddy, who has to go for monthly vet reviews for his heartworm treatment. Sida and Matthieu, who have monthly acupuncture, massage and hydrotherapy sessions. Ah Boy and Sunny who are on long term heart medication on top of their regular vet reviews.

With every rescue, it is our responsibility to see them through the entire process of recovery and or rehoming, to ensure that these dogs remain in good health, are happy and well cared for and to have the best quality of life we possibly can afford to give them. 

On behalf of our doggies, thank you!

To help with our vet bills, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg

Written by Wendy Yeo