Homeless. Not just the dogs but their humans as well ☹
A late night message reported that a family and their two dogs were sitting at a Jurong HDB void deck with all their belongings, suggesting they might need help.
The messages asked if we could go down and help the dogs, who were grossly neglected and famished. Kind dog lovers living in the vicinity rushed down to feed the dogs food and water, which they wolfed down very quickly.
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| The neglected poodle |
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| Poodle's nails and badly matted paw |
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| Getting a shave and blood tests at the vet |
Our volunteers went down the next morning and found them still at the void deck and felt terribly sorry for the dogs. One dog, the poodle, was roaming the void deck and approached us when we arrived. The sight of the poodle was extremely shocking – we had a hard time trying to figure out where his face was! The poodle was in such a bad state of neglect, we couldn’t even begin to imagine how he had been living; how sorry we felt for him. His nails were so long, they curled sideways – how did he even walk without feeling pain and discomfort? Or had he gotten used to the pain? His eyes were totally covered with badly matted fur, almost blocking his vision. And the stench from him . . . . that stench lingered in the volunteer’s car long after he had been dropped off at the vet.
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| The malnourished chihuahua |
The other dog, a chihuahua, was in a backpack. Both are 11 years old. The ribs on the chihuahua were very obvious; poor little one must have been living a life as hard as his humans. Because the chihuahua was short coated, his physical appearance was not as horrific as the poodle, other than his protruding ribs, long nails and rotten teeth.
We offered to take both dogs to the vet immediately, where the poodle was immediately shaved down and more than an hour later, we could finally see his eyes and he was even skinnier than the chihuahua ☹ He must have felt so relieved to feel so clean and fresh again. Both dogs were totally famished, they ate so fast and then vomited ☹
Apart from malnourishment, dehydration and slightly high kidney & liver readings, both dogs, thankfully, do not have major health issues. Both however, have extremely decayed teeth and mouths that smell like a really bad sewer.
The case has been reported to the relevant agencies and a social worker is in contact with the family to assist in getting them proper lodging etc
The dogs will undergo dental when their body scores are better.
If you would like to help us with their vet bills and dogs’ living expenses while their case is pending, please drop us an email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg
