Zeus was an injured stray living on scraps for 15 years. Now, he's one of our most well-liked and respected rescues. At 15 years of age, Zeus is roughly equivalent to a 80-100 year old person. It is truly a show of his will to live that he has made it through almost 8 months recovering from a debilitating spinal injury, severe UTI, surgery to remove a growth near his eye and a huge open wound on his back which was so deep we could see his muscles. Despite all that he has gone through, he is a gentle soul yet still showing grit and determination, which says a lot about his character. His strong will yet at times childish and goofy antics, coupled with his unkempt look, have earned him a mad scientist reputation amongst the volunteers.
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| Zeus as he looks today, at 15+ years old |
It all started on 6 March when the volunteers found Zeus during our stray feeding rounds, hiding under a lorry with a huge deep wound on his back that was so deep that we could put our entire hand in. We sent him in for emergency vet treatment in the middle of the night to get his wound treated. Little did we realize there was more to come. After 2 weeks at the vet, Zeus suddenly became paralyzed. A scan revealed he had multiple slipped discs in his spine. The surgery and post-surgery recovery would incur a hefty 5-figure sum and we did not have the funds. Do we proceed with surgery with no guarantee that it will be a success? Can we bring ourselves to look into Zeus' eyes and tell him we have to put him down because we did not have enough funds to try? In the end, we went with our hearts and did what we felt was right, and held on to faith that it would all be ok. And thus began the amazing story of Zeus, a triumph against all odds for this old dog.
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| Zeus, when we found him in the worksite |
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| Zeus, the night he was rushed to emergency |
The spinal surgery was performed on 27 March. It was performed by 2 of our favourite vets and lasted 5 hours! By the time Zeus was released and brought back to another vet clinic for hospitalization, it was late in the night. Zeus had a ventral slot laminectomy done on C5 and C6. The vet went in via the throat because Zeus' back had too many muscles to penetrate. Zeus also had strong bones for a senior and so they took a long time to slowly drill through to remove the pressure off the spine. A single wrong move could cause serious damage. Fortunately, there was minimal bleeding. After the surgery, the vet said Zeus must have had a few traffic accidents as there were new and old injuries in his spine. The old injuries had fused together so there was nothing that could be done. This explains why Zeus has a head tilt and slanted posture. But the vet did not think that these were the cause of Zeus' paralysis. The outcome of the surgery would not be known immediately and the vet gave him a 50-50 chance. The next 2 weeks would be critical.
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| In a critical condition after his spinal surgery |
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| Zeus was shaved as his body was covered with badly matted fur and huge sores |
The next day at noon, Zeus' condition deteriorated. His blood pressure and body temperature dropped and the wound on his back had turned darker. He was unstable and had to be put on oxygen. By the afternoon, his red blood count started crashing. His RBC at one point was 14 when the normal is 35 and above. His gums were pale and he was unconscious. The vet warned that he may suffer a cardiac arrest if he doesn't get enough blood. A call on social media was made for dog blood donors with DEA negative on the same day. Volunteers took turns to sit with him, ensuring his oxygen mask didn't come off and checking his vitals. Fortunately he grew more stable by nightfall and no longer needed his oxygen mask. Hs RBC went back up and he no longer required a blood transfusion although we still kept some doggy donors on standby.
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| An extremely sweet old man |
Over the next week, volunteers continued to take turns to accompany Zeus at the clinic to attend to his needs. A BIG thank you to all these volunteers. Zeus started to feel better and was out of the woods by the second week. In the end, he did not require a blood transfusion. He ate and drank well but he needed support to prop his neck up. His poo was irregular and the vets had to do manual extraction daily.
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| His wound was so huge it took months and months of daily wound cleaning for it to completely heal |
Two weeks post surgery, we started him on massage therapy and hyperbaric oxygen treatment as recommended by the vet to speed up the healing of his wound. This took place just across the road from the clinic so if you had seen a dog getting stretchered across the road in Serangoon, that likely would have been Zeus and his volunteers. We did this for almost 3 months, just so that Zeus can recover faster. Our volunteers also massaged and exercised his limbs daily. Despite all this, his limbs were still stiff and it was painful for him to go in his wheelchair so we delayed putting him in it.
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| The first time he sat up on his own after his spinal surgery <3 |
On 17 April, Zeus sat up on his own for the first time! He was never able to do that before. He kept falling over when he tried to sit up but he never gave up. He was even able to stand on all 4 legs for a second!
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| "Dented" cornea that was ulcerated by the growth |
On 28 April, Zeus underwent surgery to remove a growth/ulcer near the eyelid and a lump on his right ear. The growth on his eyelid had been there since his rescue but it had grown bigger since and was scratching his cornea and causing his eye to be red.
He was finally discharged on 29 April, 68 days after first being warded. He looked a little sad leaving his suite after having spent 2 months with the vets and nurses, but perked up quickly when he went to a foster home with 2 other dogs. Zeus loves to be in the company of dogs so he should ideally be adopted into a home with other dogs.
In early May, just a short while after he was discharged, Zeus developed severe UTI because he was previously on a urine catheter for too long after his surgery when he was paralyzed. The lab test showed that he had 3 types of bacteria that were resistant to many antibiotics. He was put on yet another antibiotic. By Jun 19, his pee was clear and a test showed that his UTI was cleared.
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| Learning how to walk all over again |
All this while, his wound was healing slowly but surely. By June, his wound was still open and the wound cleaning continued. The vet changed his medications to try and speed up the healing process. Zeus was becoming stronger and his hyperbaric treatments were reduced.
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| An extremely happy & grateful Zeus |
It's now been 8 months since we took Zeus off the streets. He is walking faster and is rounder and happier! We spent almost $35K to get him to where he is now. Zeus probably has another 2-3 years more since he is already quite old for a dog at 15. Now all we ask is that he gets a home with doggos to enjoy the rest of his golden years. He is on home cooked meals twice a day, and needs 2-3 short walks a day. Zeus is sweet, charming, and has zero aggression. He is hard of hearing and as he is a super senior dog, he should not be left home alone for more than 3 hours. If you can give sweet Zeus a home, please fill up the adoption form at http://goo.gl/forms/ia4w4IlWYk/
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| Zeus as he is today. ADOPT ZEUS |
