Remember Mookie - an old factory dog whom we gave Hope to a few months ago by having sent him for medical treatment for hishematoma? This story brings good news to all of you, and we would like to thank everyone who contributed to his medical treatment or helped him in any way.
After staying at the boarding kennels for about a week, Mookie's ear was almost fully recovered and we took him home to his factory. Volunteers from HOPE Dog Rescue religiously visited him twice a week to check on his ear and ensure that it did not start to swell again. From his visits to the vet, we found out that he was anaemic and needed some liver to boost the number of blood cells in his body. Fiona gave Mookie's care-giver, a security uncle, a second-hand fridge so he could cook liver for Mookie. Uncle could also store liver in the fridge for the other dogs and cats in his factory since he cared so much for them. We would supply the food on a weekly basis.
Happy Mookie back at his factory after recovering
A month after Mookie's return to his factory, Uncle told us that another dog in the factory also had a hematoma! Ah Huey was Mookie's only friend left, besides the cats, after the death of Tang Tang. After hearing from Uncle that Ah Huey's ear was also swollen like Mookie's before his medical treatment, we were slightly worried for Ah Huey and were afraid to leave her ear untreated. Lisa and Jo arranged and made plans to take both Ah Huey and Mookie to the vet; to check on Ah Huey's ear and to give Mookie a final check-up to confirm his successful recovery.
Since Uncle does not have a mobile phone and is not contactable via phone, Lisa headed down personally one afternoon, a day before the vet appointment, to inform him about the scheduled appointment. Also, Lisa instructed Uncle not to feed Ah Huey after 8pm the night before the vet appointment, as she has to fast in case she was diagnosed with hematoma and required a minor ear surgery.
On the day of the vet appointment, Lisa booked a pet transport to fetch the dogs from their factory to the clinic. Since Ah Huey is extremely timid, Uncle helped us to leash her and put her in a big carrier. Mookie did not need to be in a carrier at all, as he was familiar with us and seemed to enjoy car rides. On the way to the vet, Ah Huey peed and poo-ed in her carrier out of fear. Most likely she had never been on a car ride before and was unsure of where we were taking her.
Sweet Ah Huey on the way to the vet
Cheeky Mookie loving his outings to the vet
Once we reached the vet, we registered Ah Huey as Daisy as it was an easier name to remember. Dr Ang examined Daisy's ear and to our relief, it was not a hematoma! Daisy had probably been involved in a dog fight, injuring her left ear - and because her ear was recovering, it seemed to be a little puffy. It was very good news that Daisy did not have to undergo the painful procedure of an ear aspiration.
Dr Ang then continued with other checks and tests on Daisy. She is estimated to be around 7-8 years of age and has hardly any front teeth! Her loss of teeth might perhaps have been due to years of chewing and biting on hard material like metal wires; maybe due to the boredom of living in a factory! She was also positive for heartworm and was a carrier of tick fever. Due to her age, Dr Ang recommended us to treat Daisy with Heartguard to kill all the worms in her heart instead of proceeding with the strong heartworm injections that might put her life in danger. We gave her the first dose of Heartguard, mixing it into a yummy packet of chicken and char siew rice. She was also given a vaccination against Canine Distemper, Hepatitis, Leptospirosis (bacterial of sorts) as well as Parvovirus.
Sweet old Daisy aka Ah Huey
Ah Huey at the vet; extremely uncertain of her surroundings
Daisy seems old, with not many teeth left. She could also have been biting on metal
Daisy having blood samples taken from her
As for Mookie, his ear had fully recovered but tests reflected that he was still heartworm positive even after the 3 jabs of Immiticide to expel all the worms in his heart. Dr Ang explained that in some dogs, it may take 6 months or longer for the worms to be completely removed. She recommended that we put him on Heartguard to kill the baby worms and as a preventative measure against a new heartworm infection. Fortunately, Mookie is finally free from tick fever! Lisa also noticed that a growth resembling a small "cauliflower" on the top of his eye lid had miraculously disappeared! We asked Dr Ang about it and she said that it could have been a canine papilloma, and probably went away on its own after blood supply to the growth was stopped naturally. It might return in the future, so we will still continue to check on him regularly. Mookie also received a vaccination just like Daisy's, and was given a dose of Heartguard too.
Taking a blood sample from Mookie
In a nutshell, Mookie and Daisy have no severe health problems and are doing very well back at their factory. Uncle feeds them every day and ensures that they are well, while volunteers visit the doggies twice a week! Mookie and Daisy are due for a review at the end of the year to check if they still have heartworm, and to ascertain that they are healthy.
Lisachecking if she fits into the carrier! Actually Daisy had peed and poo-ed in the carrier and Lisa was cleaning up. Volunteer, anyone?
We would like to thank Lisa for sponsoring Mookie and Daisy's pet transport and vet bills.
We would also like to thank all friends and volunteers who have played a part in Mookie's recovery from his hematoma. There are many dogs out there just like Mookie, who may need medical help and we would like to give them some Hope. We can't do it alone and we need your help and support. Let's work together to help improve the lives of street animals and give them the Hope and care they deserve!
Behind those eyes and wagging tail is a story of hope.
Mookie, a factory dog, is estimated to be about 8 to 10 years old. He used to live on the streets as a stray but two years ago decided to move into a factory because there was better food, more regular meals and perhaps, he preferred the living environment. An elderly security guard would cook rice daily, mixing it with kibbles that volunteers do sometimes supply him with, to feed the animals living in his compound, even though he does not earn much. Currently, there are a total of 14 cats and 3 dogs living in that compound, including Mookie.
Mookie's extremely swollen ear, caused by a burst blood vessel
Mookie's loss of fur caused by the infestation of fleas as he lives with 14 cats
Street animals very seldom live past mid-age. Even this age is considered relatively old for a stray. Often, they are killed as puppies when they learn to walk and to wander out in search of food, or they get killed in traffic accidents or construction site accidents. Living on the street, strays are exposed to the constant risk of accidents, illness, starvation and abuse. We know that strays come in all sizes, breed mixes, ages and colors; some with 4 legs, some with less; many injured and ill, but they all share common characteristics: they are homeless, they need our help and they all deserve loving homes.
Like all street animals, Mookie has had a hard life. Mookie looks older than he actually is. He hardly has any fur left, partly from old age, as well as from being bitten by fleas, as he lives on a compound with many cats. His right eye is shrunken and he has lost vision in that eye. This makes it extremely dangerous for Mookie living on the streets as his vision is limited and he might not be able to see approaching traffic. Apart from this “handicap”, Mookie’s hind legs are weak and arthritic. His legs tremble even as he stands to eat or be patted.
Mookie's hind legs tremble badly
About a month ago, volunteers from another animal welfare group had taken him to the vet as they noticed that Mookie had a hematoma in his left ear. We would like to thank them for their kindness and care for him.
Mookie with his very swollen ear, caused by a hematoma
Often, we feel sorry for these street animals because we feel that they have to “sacrifice” themselves in order for us to notice them, for us to save and care for them. Had Mookie not been unwell, we would have just patted him, fed him and gone on with our regular feeding rounds. We would not have spent more than a few minutes with him or given him the love and attention that he has been waiting for all his life.
This time round, while we were trying to catch a sick stray dog across the street from where Mookie lives, we noticed that Mookie's ear was looking terribly swollen again. The reason why his hematoma was back again is that he has an ear infection, causing him to vigorously shake his head and thus bursting a blood vessel in the process, causing an accumulation of blood in his ear. This is the third time in a span of one and a half months that Mookie has a hematoma.
Normally, if a hematoma is left untreated, the dog's ear would eventually burst, causing an open wound. It is unlikely that Mookie will bleed to death, but without medical aid, his open wound would be prone to another ear infection, maggot infestation or other complications that may result in the loss of his hearing or even his entire ear. Not to mention the pain and discomfort he would have to endure.
Mookie's old eyes plead with us to help him. His right eye is shrunken and he no longer sees from that eye.
We quickly arranged for a pet transport to take Mookie to the vet the following day. However, when they got there, Mookie was nowhere to be found. It was a wasted trip for the pet transport, who kindly waived their charges.
That night, volunteers made a special trip down to the factory to look for the security uncle to inform him to wait with Mookie for the pet transport to arrive the following day.
The next day, Mookie arrived at the vet and Dr Teo JW said that the condition of his ear was really bad and an aspiration (process of draining fluids from an infected area using a syringe) alone would not solve the issue. He would need a minor surgery under general anaesthesia to avoid the reoccurrence of the hematoma in his ear and also addressing his inner ear infection. We agreed for Mookie to proceed with the ear surgery scheduled for the following day, and be warded for the night. However, after taking a blood sample to ensure that he was fit for the surgery, it turned out that Mookie’s blood results were bad and the surgery had to be postponed. Poor old Mookie had tick fever, heartworm as well as anaemia, on top of having a hematoma in his left ear and vision only in his right eye! Such is the sad life of a factory dog, and Mookie is actually considered quite fortunate to have a security guard care - bathing, feeding and medicating him. We couldn’t but help compare him to Harry. Who is in a worse off situation?
Since the surgery had to be postponed due to his poor health, only an aspiration on his ear was done. The pet transport then took Mookie back to his factory the following day.
That same night, HOPE volunteers went to Mookie's factory again to bring cooked liver and rice for him, to build him up. He was still a little drowsy from his sedation when the aspiration was done, but his ear was at least 60% less swollen. Mookie did not really have an appetite for his food; he just lay on the cold hard pavement, enjoying pats from the volunteers. The volunteers explained the ear medications to the security uncle, who was so glad to have Mookie returned safely to him.
We would like to thank the family who came to Mookie's rescue and helped with his vet bill for his first treatment.
However, a week later, Mookie’s ears started swelling again and this time, it happened in a very short span of time, for the third time! Poor Mooks. Volunteers had to take him to the vet yet again to have the blood and fluids drained from his swollen ear. Through it all, Mookie has been very cooperative, occasionally whining and crying when his ear was cut with a blade, with blood and pus being squeezed out from it. He was a tough old dog.
Squeezing blood and pus out from Mookie's ear
Pus coming out from Mookie's ear as it was quite badly infected
Sweet old Mooks enduring the painful procedure
Getting his head bandaged
Looking like a sweet Christmas present and smiling despite the pain
His ear was still bleeding as he left the clinic for the boarding kennels
Again, we were reminded by the vets that this procedure was just a temporary solution and that what Mookie really needed was a surgery on his ear and to cure his underlying ear infection. However, this can’t be carried out at this present moment as Mookie is too weak and unwell; we might lose him on the operating table and we definitely don’t want to take that risk.
This time, however, after the procedure on his ear, we decided to board him at boarding kennels for a week or two. Volunteers would work out shifts to visit him twice a day; to clean his ears, change his dressing and medicate him, in the hope that his inner ear problem would heal completely and the hematoma not occur again as it is too painful a process for poor old Mooks to endure every other week.
Mookie has been at the boarding kennels for the past few days, crying and whining the first two days, wanting to go back to his factory. He refused the dog food that volunteers bought for him and feeling sorry for him, they decided to spoil him with chicken rice, liver and eggs daily – which Mookie wolfed down in a flash!
Mookie on the way to the boarding kennels to recuperate for two weeks
Doesn't this face show how much faith he has in humans?
Mookie having a good rest at the boarding kennels
Mookie's bowl of rice, potatoes and chicken, lovingly prepared by Lisa
Our volunteers will continue to take time off from work to go down to the boarding kennels twice daily to medicate and change his dressing, as well as to feed him. His wound seems to have dried up and he is shaking his head less. As soon as his inner ear infection is cleared, volunteers will arrange to take Mookie back to the factory and will continue to visit him frequently to ensure he is happy and well. We don’t want his hematoma to recur as the process is painful and costly We are hoping his inner ear infection would be rid once and for all and Mookie would not have to proceed with the ear surgery.
Volunteers also want to try their best to ensure that Mookie’s other good eye is taken care of so he does not lose his remaining eye. They will check on him twice weekly, cleaning and applying eye drops for him.
If you would like to help Mookie with the following, please email Fiona at pops_snaps@singnet.com.sg
Vet bill for 2nd ear aspiration $492/- (stayed overnight at vet)
Vet bill for 3rd ear aspiration $329/-
Pet transport $110 (Paid by Rosalind L, thank you!)
Boarding + dog food $315/- (estimated, based on boarding of 2 weeks)
As animal welfare volunteers, we cross paths with old dogs who desperately need our help. Why are we so passionate about giving aid to senior street dogs? It gives us a warm fuzzy feeling inside to know that we have given an elderly stray dog a few more years worth living. All dogs are equally special and close to our heart, regardless of whether they are pets or mere strays. They deserve to be cherished and helped. We believe that it's worth our time and worth the fight.
As long as there are dogs just like Mookie out there, our work will continue, bringing them the light of Hope they all truly deserve.
We would like to thank our volunteers Lisa, Mandy, Jamie, Susan and Jo-Ann for caring for and loving Mooks.
Photographs courtesy of Jamie, Lisa and Jo-Ann. Written by Jo-Ann.
