We were on one of our regular Saturday feeding rounds last night when we noticed that one of the usual dogs was missing. When we asked the workers in the area about the missing dog, whom we named Raphael, they told us that the whole pack of dogs had gone out to play the day before, but this one did not return with the others.
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| Raphael playing in his "playground" |
So we searched high and low, all over the nearby areas, and finally found him hiding in a corner. He was lying down, obviously in pain and unable to stand. But there were no visible wounds, which was quite baffling. We carried him to our car and took him to the vet. He was so sweet and allowed himself to be picked up without resisting or struggling at all.
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| Hiding in pain |
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| Arriving at the vet and trying to put Raphael on the stretcher |
By the time we arrived, it was close to midnight, which meant emergency charges applied. But poor Raphael was in such great pain that there really wasn’t a choice of waiting for daylight to see the vet. After looking him over, the vet could only conclude that the problem was with Raphael's spine or hip. The entire left side of his body was in pain and he couldn't put any weight on his left front and hind legs. He was also dripping pee everywhere. We're not sure why but maybe it's because he was in so much pain that he wasn't able to pee properly. For now, the vet will keep him at the clinic and stabilize him. First thing tomorrow, Raphael will go in for an X-ray to find out what exactly went wrong.
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| Extremely handsome and large sized, weighing 27kg. Vet compared Raphael to a Bernese Mountain dog. |
The whole time, Raphael was so so sweet and cooperative. The vet shaved his arm and put in a drip, but he didn't even flinch. He has never even seen a shaver before, yet he was so trusting and allowed the vet to do as she pleased. Even the vet was impressed and kept complimenting him and saying what a nice stray he was.
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| Poor Raphael - look at his badly matted tail. Workers call him"Long Tail" |
It seems like Raphael is also really popular with his pack because all his doggy friends were very sad at his absence and didn't eat after he disappeared. Strays may not know the love of a human family like pet dogs, but they're also loyal and affectionate creatures that feel sadness and pain when bad things happen. Poor Raphael, and his poor friends too, that pain is such a common occurrence in their lives. We hope that Raphael will get well soon ASAP so that he can rejoin his friends.
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| Vet checking his joints and reflexes |
UPDATES
X-rays have been done and Raphael’s hip has been dislocated when he was hit by a lorry. Surgery will be done tomorrow, after which he would require a foster for 2 months.
If you also find yourself falling in love with Raphael, please consider making a contribution towards his vet bills as our recent rescue, Sugar’s vet bills and weekly vet reviews have come up to quite a substantial amount and wiped us dry. Email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg if you would like to help.
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| Look at the size of his paws! |
Written by: Elena
