Benji (Schnauzer) and His Not So Precious Stones

We are glad to report that Benji's surgery went well. They removed many, many stones from his bladder, some of which have combined over time to form larger stones. They also inserted a fibre scope camera into his penis to remove the stones there. Benji is quite sensitive to pain and the vet had to increase the dosage of painkillers by 3 times, but Benji is now recuperating well and has just been discharged.

X-ray showing the many stones in Benji's bladder

Stones that could be flushed out 

Stones that had to be surgically removed

Once back home, he will need to wear a cone for a while so that the wound will be undisturbed and he will be on antibiotics and pain medications while he recovers at home. No showers for Benji in the meantime as well, so that the wound can stay dry.

Poor Benji has had 3 surgeries in the past 1 month

His breed is susceptible to recurring kidney stones so the vet has recommended his diet be changed to Hill's urinary diet for the rest of his life. Benji’s neighbours are trying their best to help raise funds for this diet. Also, Benji will need to be encouraged to drink more water and pee more often to help prevent stones from forming.

Benji after surgery to remove the stones

In other good news, his arm wound is healing well and no longer needs to be bandaged. Just a topical application of medicine will suffice, and only if required.

His arm is healing well 

We hope that Benji's problems are now over for good and Auntie Soh will not need to worry about him anymore.

Being very brave about the entire ordeal 

Thank you everyone for your kindness and generosity, for stepping up to help a low income, senior citizen, whose dog means the world to her.

Written by : Sam

Puli Puli

We received an urgent call today from a worker from the fish farm that we visit monthly. He called us because one of the farm dogs have got a very deep maggot-filled wound on his rump.

Puli, during one of our visits

The dog they called about is named Puli by the workers. Puli means tiger, and like his namesake, he is strikingly handsome. Puli is a young dog, and one of a few who live on the fish farm. Each month we will visit them to check on them as well as to apply Frontline and Revolution. We also supply food monthly, thanks to a kind donor, June.

Handsome Puli

The workers had not seen Puli in a few days but that is not unusual as these dogs come and go as they please. The workers leave food at a common area daily that the dogs can come to eat as and when they get hungry. Puli finally showed up today, whining and crying in pain, with a very deep maggot wound. The workers reckoned that someone may have hit him but they cannot be sure. The workers tried to remove as many maggots at they could but the wound is too deep for them to clean it thoroughly and so they reached out to us. 

An extremely deep wound, poor Puli 

Some of the maggots that the workers managed to remove 

After work today, our volunteers took Puli to the vet. The vet said that his wound was really bad and tomorrow they will do a blood test before putting him under GA to have his wound cleaned and perhaps stitched up. He will most likely be warded for 5 days or so, depending on how his healing goes. When he is feeling better, Puli will be returned to the fish farm. The workers will continue to keep his wound clean and medicate him. It is heartwarming to see that these workers truly love Puli and the other dogs. 

Look how fat this flesh eating maggot is!

We need help with Puli's vet bills please. If you can help, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.

Puli says Thank You for helping him

Written by: Sam

What To Do When You Find A Dog

You may have seen a dog walking around, looking out of sorts and think it might need some help, but you are not sure what to do. 

Here are some tips!

1.  Check whether the dog is microchipped.

All vets in Singapore provide free microchip scanning, so take the dog to any vet to scan for one. If the microchip is registered, you would be able to trace the dog's owner.

Using a microchip scanner, scan the dog to check if he is microchipped. 

2.  Examine and monitor - does the dog look unwell, dehydrated or hurt?

If so, take it to the vet immediately.

3.  Investigate. Do a due diligence check.

- Is this the first time you have seen the dog? Is he/she injured? What is his/her condition?
- Is the dog wearing a collar? Is there a tag with a telephone number on it?
- Walk around the vicinity and ask if people have seen the dog and if they know who the owner is.
- Not all dogs are abandoned; some are genuinely lost. Long nails and unkempt fur are often signs of abandonment. Dogs that are constantly looking around are most likely lost. Look out for these signs. It is unfair to the dog and owner if you rehome it before making the effort to search for the owners and reunite them.

- If you find someone to foster the dog temporarily, please ensure you take details of the person fostering the dog.

4.  Inform the relevant authorities.

- Agri-food Veterinary Authority of Singapore (ava_cawc@ava.gov.sg; 1800 476 1600)

- SPCA (shelter@spca.org.sg; 62875355 ext 25)

- Pet-Call (info@petcall.org; 6741-8466)

State the date, time and location where you found the dog; the dog’s breed, gender and colour; whether it was wearing a collar / harness/ leash; and if the dog is microchipped, the microchip number.

5.  Spread the word. Word of mouth is powerful.

 - Share the lost dog's information on Facebook, Instagram and any other social media.

- Contact various dog welfare organizations and ask for help to pass the word around.

6.  Advertise.

Place advertisements in The Straits Times and Lianhe Zaobao. 

* To post an ad on The Straits Times, go to www.stclassifieds.sg/placead. Include the following details:
- Date and time found
- Location
- Sex
- Breed
- Colour of dog
- If he/she was wearing a collar/has a microchip, etc

Do NOT state the microchip number in the papers. The real owner will be able to provide you with the microchip number and AVA license number. 

*  To post an ad on Lianhe Zaobao, call (65) 6319-8228.

7.  Put up “Dog Found” posters.

The conventional way could be the most effective way. Put up posters around the vicinity where you found the dog. Include the following details:

- A clear photo of the dog
- Date, time and location where it was found
- If it was wearing a collar (colour of collar / material of collar)
- Your contact number

Sample poster. Paste in the vicinity of where the dog was found. 

8.  Search for a foster home for the dog or place it in a boarding kennel temporarily.

Do not expect to find its owner immediately; the search may take a few days or even a few months. Ensure that the dog is safe and well taken care of during this time. Be patient and keep up your efforts to find the owner.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

If you have done all of the above but are still unable to find the owner after three weeks, you can start looking for potential families to adopt the dog. In this case, here’s what you have to do:

1.You MUST let the new adopter know that it was a lost dog. 

2.If the previous owner shows up to claim the dog, the new adopter should be prepared to return the dog to its rightful owner, unless the owner decides to give up the dog to them. 

3.Ensure that a proper handover is done. This includes passing the new adopter AVA licenses, microchipping details, vaccination and sterilization certificates and any other important information of the dog. This could include his/her lifestyle habits, any health or medical condition, if he/she gets along with other dogs/children, etc. These would help the new adopter to be better prepared for the dog and help the dog better adapt to its new environment as well.        

                                                                                     
Last but not least, make sure that the dog has been microchipped, vaccinated and sterilized before he/she is rehomed. Doing so protects the dog and yourself. You would not want to encounter a situation where the new owner does not vaccinate and sterilize the dog. And should the dog get lost, he/she could end up sold to breeders and turned into a breeding dog. Sterilize and vaccinate the dog to avoid such scenarios and spare yourself these nightmares and sleepless nights.