Within days of Jaspar’s rescue, just a lane away from Jaspar’s factory, another dog was badly injured in yet another dogfight. Although not as life threatening as Jaspar’s, as the infection had not yet spread to his blood, this little puppy’s wound was MUCH deeper.
Helpless Fudge
I recall watching him grow up, running across the road dangerously, chasing and playing with his sister, oblivious to the traffic and danger around them. They were less than 3 months old then. Even at that tiny age, he protected his sister from the bigger dogs and would bark and chase them away when they came near her. Interestingly, the big dogs would back off and leave them alone, quite an amusing sight actually! However, just 6 months later, Fudge lost his sister in an accident. This was a month ago. The amount of hardship he has experienced in his 10 short months of life is something that none of our blessed pets would ever experience in their entire lifetimes.
This time, we saw Fudge while on our regular feeds, with a huge hole on his back, just like Jaspar. We didn’t have our dog carrier at that time, and could not help him then. However, I returned to the factory the next morning and spent 2 hours speaking with the workers and searching for him. Some workers told me that the dog had died, while others told me that he was asleep somewhere and would only appear in the evening. Like déjà vu, I left my carrier and leash with the workers and told them to call me when they spotted the injured dog. I then headed to the vet to visit Jaspar.
Hardly half an hour into my visit, the workers called to tell me they had the injured dog in the carrier and I rushed back to the industrial site. The overpowering stench of rotting flesh filled the air once again as I approached the carrier. With the heat and humidity, the smell was magnified. I wasn’t sure if it was the smell, the situation of seeing two dogs with such bad maggot-infested wounds within a week, my tiredness or the fact that I have been terribly worried about chalking up high vet bills, but I suddenly felt overwhelmingly nauseated.
Finally managed to get Fudge into the carrier
Believe it or not, but these workers are the unsung angels of our street dogs
Agonizing pain
A horrendous sight
Fudge had a huge wound on the left of his back, rather similar to Jaspar’s. From my years of experience working with street dogs, I have observed that dog fights are common when a female dog is in heat. We tend to see more injuries on dogs. In my opinion, this is one of the saddest sights working with street dogs; watching up to 10 males dogs literally take turns on one female dog, not unlike gang rape. Of course the alpha male gets to mate first, and the lower-ranked dogs fight it out. This is when they get their injuries.
In the safety of the clinic
Our volunteer offering comfort and assurance to Fudge
In Fudge’s factory, there are 3 more dogs: 1 mommy dog, her 4-month-old male puppy and an adult male. We hope to sterilize all of them by next week. Please support our Spay It Forward program and help fund the sterilizations.
At the vet, Fudge was calm most of the time. He never tried to bite, although he didn’t like the muzzle and kept trying to take it off. There was such great fear in his eyes; fear of being in a new environment and possibly the severity of the pain. As two vet techs picked out maggots from his wound, he cried softly. His low whimpers made me sad. All this while, Jaspar lay quietly in his cage, looking at Fudge’s similar ordeal.
The look of extreme fear in those eyes
Trying our best to assure and comfort him
If only there is a way that we can make him feel better
Imagine your own dog at the vet, hurt or injured. While your pet has you to love, hug and kiss, these stray puppies / dogs have families wiped out, sometimes within months of each other. They have nowhere to call home, no one to love, comfort or reassure them. Us rescuing them is as close to experiencing love or kindness as they’ll ever get. What’s worse, this experience of love will be short-lived, because we will have to return them to the factories as soon as their wounds heal, unless some big-hearted family offers to adopt them and give them a permanent home.
A blood test was carried out and it showed that he had ehrlichia. His red blood count was low from the loss of blood, while his white blood count was high from the infection. His situation was not life threatening like Jaspar’s, but this puppy’s wound was a whole lot deeper. The maggots had literally created tunnels under his skin. The doctor mentioned that she would need to sedate him to cut away the dead flesh.
Apart from ehrlichia, he was healthy enough to be sedated. This would also make the cleaning of his wound easier for the technicians and a lot less painful and torturous for Fudge. He soon fell into a deep slumber, possibly the first proper slumber he has ever had. Street dogs seldom get proper sleep or rest, for fear of being attacked, hit by oncoming vehicles or other dangers. Often, when they are rescued, they literally sleep for days and weeks on end, just to catch up on the years of sleep deprivation. You would think they were sedated daily!
After he was sedated, two vet techs quickly started work on Fudge’s wound, pulling out a few hundred maggots over the next two hours. Had we not saved Fudge, he would eventually have died from septic shock (septicemia) or the horrible flesh eating worms would have claimed him.
He would have died a slow death had we gotten to him any later
Finally sedated
Removing maggots from the wound
That's how deep his wound is
Doing all we can for Fudge
Now all we can do is pray that Fudge pulls through
A total of 3 kidney dishes of maggots extracted from Fudge
Recently, I seem to be seeing more dogs with such huge maggot-infested wounds, and am starting to feel nauseated by the sight and smell of them. It’s simply too much to bear within a few short days of Jaspar’s rescue. We have been trying to cut down on our rescue work as we have chalked up a huge bill with the vets but how do we say no to them when, often, we know that we are their only hope?
Please consider making a donation so that we may continue saving and helping the dogs who need us. No animal deserves to live this way.
An office lady working at one of the factories where we feed regularly had gotten hold of Fiona’s number from one of her colleagues. “Injured dog in bad state and *address,” read her text message. The address she provided looked very familiar and after years of working with the street dogs in the same industrial estate, Fiona immediately knew it was the same factory where we found Sunday. That got us curious; which dog was it who got hurt this time? A wave of horror overcame us as we saw the photo in the attachment. Fiona immediately called the sender. We were coming to help.
Photo received from the office worker sent sadness through Fiona’s heart.
Shortly after, Fiona brought a carrier to the factory, along with a leash and food to lure the dog out. While driving down, images of Beano flashed in her mind. It was drizzling, but the dog was nowhere to be found. After searching in vain, Fiona left the carrier there for the night and taught the workers what to do in case the dog reappeared.
Waiting was the hardest part. We didn’t know what had happened, or what would happen if we didn’t manage to catch the dog. Had he gone somewhere to lie down and wait for death to overcome him? Such was the sad life of a street dog, just another nameless carcass for NEA to dispose of.
Years of struggling to live on the streets; they often look much older than they really are.
But late at night the next day, Fiona finally received a call from the workers. The dog was in a terrible state. Just as Fiona was rushing down to help, the worker called back to say they had got the dog in the carrier. He could hardly stand and was just too weak to struggle.
Thank goodness for the kind-hearted workers who helped to locate and catch the dog
He must be in so much pain
We hope that he hasn't given up hope
The vet had closed for the night, so Fiona had to wait till morning to rush the dog to the vet.
As Fiona bent down to look at the dog, it was obvious he was in a very weak state. He was panting very heavily, struggling to breathe. The sickening stench of rotting flesh and crawling maggots filled the van as she drove to the vet. It was, by now, an all too familiar smell.
A massive maggot-festering wound
The vet tech picked out hundreds of wriggly maggots from his wounds
Jaspar left trails of maggots in his path
His wound was worse than we had feared. It was an impossibly deep hole on the top of his back. His festering flesh was teeming with hundreds of maggots, big and small, and flies swarmed about him. The pain itself could have overwhelmed him, or any one of us. He lay there weak as he struggled to keep his eyes open, almost motionless, as the vet examined him. The helpless, sorry creature looked so fragile as blood tests were run and the vet tech painstakingly spent hours removing the maggots in his wound. He had three holes on his back; a huge one and two smaller ones on the side of the huge gaping wound. Could those flesh-eating maggots have burrowed their ways through? It was a heartwrenching sight.
Jaspar was too timid to come out of the carrier
He wasn’t just weak from the injury, which the doctor estimated to be about a week old. He was also extremely malnourished, just skin and bones and severely dehydrated. It was no wonder that he couldn’t fight the infection before maggots had set in.
The vet tech spent more than an hour picking the maggots from the raw, cavernous wound. There were hundreds and hundreds of them, some really fat. They had been feasting on his flesh for many days. Many of them were baby maggots too. He remained still throughout what should have been an excruciating process, too weak to struggle and too numb to feel.
He really didnt need to be muzzled, it was just a safety precaution. Jaspar is a sweetheart.
The blood tests came back, and to our dismay, the results were not good. He has tick fever and septicemia, or septic shock. The infection had crept into his bloodstream. The normal white blood count for dogs was 17, but his was well over the norm at 80! He could die anytime! It was the highest the vet had ever seen. She told us to prepare for the worst, as he might not make it through the night. A blood test would be done in another two days if he pulled through, and only if the white blood count had gone down, then we may allow ourselves and him to hope.
That feeling of despair and helplessness is what we dread the most. To be able to do nothing but watch, as a life slips away from us. We could only hope with all our strength, that he had enough strength too, to make it through the night. He was hooked up to a drip and put on the strongest antibiotics. All that was left, was to pray that he would be there in the morning when we visited.
Cleaning his face
We named him Jaspar, meaning energy and courage.
The best news came in the morning. He had made it! Darling Jaspar received a steady stream of visits from our volunteers throughout the day, who brought him delicious and nutritious meals of beef and liver. By midday, he had already wolfed down three meals! It’s cliched, but it was really like approaching the light at the end of a tunnel.
It’s been three days, and he seems to be doing well, although they are still picking baby maggots from his wound. We hope to keep him at the vet for at least two weeks, to allow him time to heal. We would hate to release him back to the factory before he’s ready, only to have his wound become infected again. The vet says that she will be monitoring the healing rate of his wound, and if it doesn’t close on its own, we might need to get it stitched up.
Jaspar is estimated to be 6 years old. He weighs 12kg, though a dog of his size should ideally weigh 16kg. He’s gentle but tough, and has the sweetest eyes. It would be amazing if someone was able to foster or adopt this brave soldier, so that he will never have to face such pain again. Jaspar is extremely submissive and often bullied on the streets. If you or anyone you know is able to take him into your home, please contact us immediately!
Such a sweet, trusting soul
We are also in desperate need of funds as we’ve racked up quite a bill with the vet, with Jaspar and the other animals we’ve rescued lately. Not all our rescues are blogged about but our rescue work is on-going, almost a daily affair. Some days we simply don’t have the time, energy or manpower to write the story. It would be sad to feel that our work is hindered by the lack of funds as there is so much to be done, so many dogs waiting to be saved. If you would like to contribute to the work we do, please email fiona@hopedogrescue.org
Animal Day is an annual event used to raise awareness for animals and to simply take the time to appreciate their existence in our lives.
The event will be held at SMU Campus Green and patrons are encouraged to bring their pets to participate in the day's festivities. There will be competitions for dogs and cats, a parrot show, an adoption drive, as well as various booths for you to patronize. There will also be goodie bags up for grabs!
HOPE Dog Rescue will be there with our dogs that are available for rehoming. Come meet our darling dogs Momo, Scooby, Oscar and Happy!
HOPE is also launching our our new range of merchandise; HOPE shirts and HOPE car decals. If you can't make it down to this event but wish to purchase something to support our work, please email us fiona@hopedogrescue.org
HOPE Shirts are sold for $25/-. each and all proceeds go towards the work we do.
HOPE shirts are in dri-fit material and available only in white. Sizes XS, S and M (unisex). Should you wish to place your orders via email, the shirt would cost $28/- inclusive of local postage.
HOPE car decals are available at $5/- each
So come on down to meet our doggies, enjoy a nice Saturday with your dog or just to say Hi! We can't wait!
One afternoon, I was at Bugis Junction waiting for a friend to knock off from work. At 4pm, Fiona sent a Whatsapp group text to all volunteers: “abandoned kitten at Landmark Hotel”, “need someone to pick it up and send to vet immediately, if not kitty will die”.
I quickly Google-mapped ‘Landmark Hotel’ and noticed it was only two main roads away from where I was. I did not want to "abandon" my friend, but I could not leave the kitten to die either. Obviously, a life (even an animal’s) is worth more than any sort of appointment, and it must have been fated that I was the only one in the kitten’s vicinity; I felt compelled to do something.
Fiona texted me a mobile number and told me to call another volunteer, Francesca, to obtain the kitten’s exact whereabouts. Over the phone, Francesca promptly directed me to Pet Lovers Centre (PLC) at Bugis Junction to look for an employee, Michelle. I was a bit excited yet anxious because it felt like a treasure hunt, except I was hunting for a possibly dying kitten and time was ticking.
No larger than the styrofoam packet
Unfortunately, Michelle had just left for lunch and would only return an hour later. Apparently, she was holding on to a piece of paper with another woman’s contact details. That woman was Karen. So my immediate goal was to ask Karen exactly where the kitten was in Landmark Hotel. Francesca urged me not to wait any longer and just head straight to Landmark Hotel; I left Francesca’s mobile number with PLC so Michelle could return the call after her lunch break.
A droplet of blood at its left eye
Feeling more anxious than frustrated, I ran to the hotel. There, Francesca suggested that I speak with the basement carpark attendant because the kitten was actually well-hidden by the attendant, lest the hotel management had it removed by force. To my surprise, the conceirge, porter and security guards all confirmed that Landmark Hotel’s carpark does not have an attendant. Francesca was equally confused, but told me to scout the basement carpark and “look out for any hidden corners or spaces away from human traffic”.
Exasperated, I circled the basement carpark in midday perspiration, yet to no avail. It was 5.30pm and I decided to wait in the lobby for Francesca’s call, since Michelle would have probably been back from lunch by then. I felt increasingly helpless as the kitten was so near yet so far, and time was certainly not on our side.
Feeling cold and forlorn
As time pushed past 6pm, Francesca updated that Karen was only 10 minutes away from Landmark Hotel. I got hold of Karen over the phone, then she explained that the kitten was actually found by a Malay couple. The wife, a cleaning lady in Landmark Hotel, asked Karen for help as she did not know how to take care of the kitten. Since Karen did not either, she bought kitten milk formula from PLC at Bugis Junction and sought advice from Michelle, thereafter leaving her contact number with Michelle.
At 6.15pm, I met Karen outside the hotel. She led me into the basement carpark as she tried to recall where the Malay woman hid the kitten. Within 5 minutes, we found it!
It lay motionless in an A4-sized carton, among many other small boxes and wooden planks, under the carpark ramp. It purred quietly on a thin stack of newspapers, gazing at us with glassy green-grey eyes. It was no larger the styrofoam takeaway box placed before it, containing nasi lemak rice and traces of brown rice. Upon closer inspection, we noticed a droplet of blood coming out of its eye. That worried me because it could have been suffering from internal pain or injuries. As many of you may or may not know, cats cannot pass gas and if fed a diet that produces gas inside their stomachs, it could cause their stomachs to swell and in extreme cases, explode from the intense buildup of gas.
Raw patch on its right hind leg
As I was about to carry the carton out, Karen discouraged me from removing the kitten without the cleaning lady’s consent. Previously, through a translator working in a carpet store, the cleaning lady told Karen that she wanted to adopt the kitten since her husband also agreed to it. As Karen spoke to Francesca over the phone, the cleaning lady coincidentally appeared! She did not speak English, so we had to communicate via hand signals. Frustrated, Karen approached the translator at the carpet store to teach the cleaning lady how to care for the kitten.
However, knowing that the kitten had been on a toxic diet, Francesca insisted on sending it for a checkup immediately. Karen fetched the kitten in a taxi to The Animal Doctors, where she was met by Francesca, Fiona and Lisa. They decided to name her Missy. The vet concluded that Missy’s heart and lung conditions were good, except for her distended stomach as she did not have a mother cat to nurse her and teach her how to pass motion properly. The X-ray image showed that her stomach was full of food and poo, so our volunteers had no choice but to leave her overnight as she was feeling unwell. The vet would flush out her stomach so she may hopefully feel better. In addition, Missy was suffering from dehydration; it is a common myth that people think cats do not need to drink much water. They do drink an average of a cup a day when provided.
Missy arriving at the vet with Karen
Missy's stomach was full of food and poo as she did not know how to pass motion properly
Weighing a mere 650g
Vet checking Missy
Her stomach was extremely bloated
Missy, clean and calm at the vet
Missy has a curved spine and fragile bones, a result of high diet deficiency. She must not jump or fall, lest she fractures her spine. She is under 3 months old, has a very sweet nature and will love to have fun once she is given the chance to learn. Sadly, she has been kept in a carton since the Malay couple rescued her as they did not know how to provide proper care. Later, we found out that they returned to Johor Bahru on alternate days and on those days, Missy had nothing to eat and drink!
As much as they want to love Missy, she is still very young and defenseless, and is in dire need of a healthy regular diet for her proper physical development.
Playful and bright-eyed kitty
Fortunately, Missy is recently beginning to pass motion regularly on her own. She also eats by herself without having to be forced-fed or given laxatives.
Finally content in her new and loving home
Missy has been happily rehomed. We would like to thank Francesca for coordinating Missy's rescue, the volunteers for paying her regular visits at The Animal Doctors, and Mr Fu for kindly fostering her.
Missy says Thank You!
Without help from our volunteers, all this would not have been possible. Without contributions from our donors, many of our rescued animals would not have had a second chance at life.
Please continue to support our cause because every animal we can help is really one more life saved, regardless of how small or fragile.
Story by Kyna Tan. Photo credits by Kyna and Francesca.
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