Casey (Owner Surrender)

HOPE takes in quite a number of owner surrender cases and in most, we are relieved that they chose that option, rather than just abandoning them on the streets, or like in Butter’s case, anyhow rehome. However, with Casey, we feel really sad for her.

Her papa loved her a lot but he was very sick. His daughter, Ms S, wrote in to ask if we could take in their dog. Her dad was unwell and after chemo, he was often too lethargic to walk or even care for her. With their medical costs, they also could not afford to take her to the vet. So, because they love her so much, they made the difficult decision to give her up for her wellbeing. 

Scared & confused at the vet

Casey is an 11-year old, female maltese terrier. She has a bad dental condition and a huge growth in her left ear which is blocking her entire ear canal. The family tells us it has been there for 6 months.

Huge ear mass blocking her entire ear canal

We agreed to take Casey into our care.

As is our standard procedure, she was taken straight to the vet for a full medical checkup as many rescues have had their health neglected.

Bad teeth

Receding gums 

Casey's blood results are good which makes her a suitable candidate for a dental and an ear mass removal. Her right ear has a mild yeast infection, for which ear meds were dispensed to treat. The vet suggested two options for the mass in her left ear. We could do a fine needle aspirate (FNA), where a needle is inserted into the mass to extract some cells to be sent for further testing to determine if the mass is cancerous. The second option is to do an excisional biopsy, where we remove the entire growth and send it to the lab for biopsy. 

Poor Casey, we hope she feels better soon 

Like all our rescues, Casey is really sweet, but she is a little fearful around other dogs, having been an only dog all her life. We have decided with the second option to remove the mass in her ear entirely so we will book that surgery for her, and dental as well. We will check with the vet if the 2 procedures can be done at the same time. Casey is also not sterilized and that may need to be done at a later date. 

She is also on wait list for a bi-cavity scan to ensure she is healthy before she undergoes the surgical procedure. 

Casey is presently with a fosterer and is settling down well. After her procedures, she will be ready to find her new forever home. 

Her initial vet bill was $613. If you would like to help Casey, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.

Butter in a Box

 Living in a box this Lunar New Year was not something this sweet senior dog ever imagined would happen to her. 

Butter was found living in a box along a HDB corridor

 Amanda contacted HOPE to inform us of an old dog living in a box outside a HDB unit and asked if we could help.

The dog had previously belonged to a couple who had divorced and the husband went on Telegram to give away their dogs. This one, whom we have named Butter, was given to a young 13-year-old boy who felt sorry for the dog and took it home.

Unfortunately, the boy's parents were not agreeable to keep the dog so he had no choice but to leave the dog outside his unit in a box. A neighbour saw the dog and was saddened by its living conditions. The neighbour and some friends kindly offered to take Butter to the vet and tried to help the boy care for Butter by providing items like kibbles. They soon realized that, however good his intentions were, the boy would not be able to care for the dog. So, they contacted HOPE.

She had a huge growth on her right hind leg and the darkened brown fur suggested that she had been wearing soaked diapers for a long time.

Volunteers went down at close to midnight to pick up the dog as the neighbours and friends had been waiting at the void deck for almost the entire day, as no one could take the dog home for the night. The volunteers then brought the dog to a temporary fosterer’s home at the opposite end of Singapore. By that time, it was almost 2am.

Volunteers, Jimmy (pictured) and Wendy, had rushed down to help Butter as the group had been hanging around the void deck for most of the day with nowhere to go

Such a sweet little doggy :-(

The next morning, the volunteers brought Butter to the vet. The vet estimated Butter to be 10  to 12 years old. Butter is very sweet and friendly, and extremely food motivated (aka always hungry). There is a growth on her chest and a larger one dangling from her right hind leg. Like many neglected dogs, she has terrible teeth with pus and discharge oozing from her nose, and would require dental asap. One eye has little or no vision. She is not sterilized but we may not push for sterilization at this time given she is already a senior dog.

Missing teeth

Needs dental soon

Little or no vision in her left eye

Lump on her chest

Growth on right hind leg

We have arranged for a heart and abdomen scan in 2 weeks. Once given the all clear, we will schedule her dental and then sweet Butter will be ready for her forever home.

Her current bill stands at $806 and will likely incur more as we send her for the various scans, tests and procedures. If you can help with sweet Butter's vet bills, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.