Twelve years together ain’t a short time. How does one have the heart to say goodbye or, even worse, leave behind a companion after more than a decade together? Such is the life of Russell, a 13-year-old mixed silky terrier who was surrendered to us by his family due to financial difficulties.
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| A sad dog left behind by his owner |
Russell was adopted by his then-family when he was only 1-year-old. As the family expanded over the years, his family was plagued with financial difficulties and could no longer afford his medical treatments. His last vet visit was, in fact, four years ago in December 2019. To make matters more complicated, one of the four children in the family is allergic to pet fur.
He was eventually left behind with the elderly parents-in-law when the family moved out a year ago. But didn’t it occur to them that their parents were getting old too, and it just wasn’t fair that the entire caretaking responsibility was on them now? It’s a relief that the owners reached out to us as they could no longer turn a blind eye to his health condition.
We brought Russell to the vet last week for a review. He weighs 5.9 kg (which is a good weight to maintain) and the most obvious problem he has is severe dermatitis. It is one of the more severe cases we have seen. There are bacterial infections all over his body, causing his skin to be itchy, red and flaky. It was so bad that he could barely open his eyes. He was given an anti-itch cytopoint injection, and his foster will be using the prescribed mousse and shampoo on him weekly till the symptoms subside. He was also tested positive for ringworms.
His eyes, ears and teeth weren't spared either. His eyesight seems fine but would need eye drops three times a day due to dryness. Both his ears are down with infection, but they have been cleaned at the vet. Ear drops were also dispensed for use.
Poor dental health was in a way expected but we didn’t expect it to be so bad. There are two tiny holes in his gums and he will likely need a gum repair surgery and extraction in months to come.
His blood works came back okay overall; there were no issues with his liver despite his age and health conditions. He does have mild anemia but we believe that would improve with dedicated care moving forward. The next step would be ultrasound to check on his heart as he has a grade 4 (out of 6) heart murmur.
Russell has been nothing but sweet during all these health checks and our time with him. He has a very mild temperament and is food motivated. He’s currently staying with a foster whom kindly came forward when we were seeking help.
We are sharing his story not to blame or flame anyone but it really saddens us to see this sweet, senior dog in this state due to neglect. We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to think and plan carefully when you decide to get a pet. Having a pet is a lifetime commitment, not one you can simply dismiss due to circumstances in life. We don’t know how long his recovery journey will take and if it’d be an arduous one. But we are determined to nurse him back to health, and find him a nice and loving family that he so deserves, and spend his twilight years in.
If you would like to find out more about adopting Russell, please fill in this non-obligatory form (https://goo.gl/forms/ia4w4IlWYk) and we will be in touch. Or if you would like to contribute to his vet bills, please drop us an email at hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg. With your support, we can help Russell find a second chance in life ♥️
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| Russell getting a second chance in life (photo courtesy of foster) |
