Terry and his friends were fishing on what started out as a normal day, but turned out to be something else entirely. A few hours after they arrived, Terry caught sight of an injured dog nearby. The tiny dog had a huge, gaping wound that covered almost the top of her entire head. He got worried, and lost the mood to fish. Immediately, Terry told his friends that they had to give the dog the help she clearly needed.
This is little Sasha
Look what the big dogs did to her
The wound covered her entire head and neck
To his dismay, the dog had wandered out of their sight. Though it was already late in the evening, Terry was determined to wait for her to reappear. However, despite searching till well past midnight, Terry couldn't find the dog again. He didn't give up. When he got home, he wrote to us for help. Our volunteer Iris responded, and guided him on what he could do, how he could catch the dog and recommended vets to him. Iris recommended two local dog catchers to Terry, and HOPE also offered to pay the vet bill once the dog has been treated.
The thought of the poor little dog wandering the area on her own, with such a horrific injury, was just too much to bear. From experience, we know that stray dogs seldom get the nutrition or rest needed to heal such injuries. Their wounds would only get bigger, deeper, and more infected with bacteria and maggots over time, until eventually, it kills them. Both Terry and us knew that doing nothing to help this dog would have been letting her die.
So the next day, kind Terry and his friends went down to the same spot at noon. Terry waited for the entire day once more, and stayed even after all his friends had left. To help him catch the injured dog, Terry had called Raj, a professional dog catcher who arrived just after midnight. It was just in time, as the dog reappeared less than a meter away. However, Raj didn't have a dog carrier and suggested that he use netting to catch the dog instead andTerry agreed. He asked Raj to act immediately, as he had already waited over 12 hours for two consecutive days, and the dog really required immediate medical attention.
However, Raj refused, saying that the dog was too smelly (due to the huge maggot-infested wound on her head) and that he needed a mask. Despite Terry's frantic urging, Raj strolled over to his van to get the masks. While this was happening, the dog got up and disappeared into a forested area yet again, to Terry's dismay. Terry was obviously frustrated and quite upset, but Raj assured him that the dog would reappear. Together, they then waited another two hours, but unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found. They called it a day, and Terry reluctantly paid Raj $80 for his time. It was to be another sleepless night, fraught with thoughts of the disturbingly huge wound, too large for the tiny dog's fragile body.
In the morning of the third day, HOPE informed the clinic and our volunteers to be on standby to receive the injured dog. Terry was determined to get the dog this time and headed to the same spot at noon. He called a different dog catcher, Damy. At about 730pm, the dog reappeared. She was very hungry, and was lured out by the smell of food. Finally, Damy managed to catch her, and she was rushed to Mount Pleasant Bedok. Our volunteers were there to meet Terry and the injured dog, whom he had named Sasha.
Removing hundreds of maggots from her wound
Some of the maggots from her wound
Sasha cried a little but was otherwise a very brave girl
The maggot wounds were really deep as they had burrowed in
We really have to commend Terry for his patience and persistence in wanting to help a stray dog. Despite waiting several days with only a few discouraging glimpses of the injured dog, Terry never gave up. Very few people are as kind as he is, and it's because of his persistence that he managed to save the dog in the end.
Sweet little Sasha
After her wound was cleaned
Enjoying her first decent meal
Resting at Mount Pleasant Bedok
Worried about her future
Thankfully, Sasha is otherwise in good health despite her massive wound. The maggots have been removed, her wound has been cleaned and she will be staying at the vet for a week while her injury heals. HOPE will be footing her vet bill. Sasha is very young, less than a year old, and long coated. She is really sweet and enjoys being patted and touched. We think she was most likely attacked by bigger and fiercer dogs, so we really hope to find her a home off the streets, where she can be safe from such attacks. If you or anyone you know is interested in fostering / adopting her, please email fiona@hopedogrescue.org
Come down and meet our brave survivors this Sunday and make them smile.
Both Benjaminand Matthieu are still warded at The Animal Doctors.
Benjamin is due for discharge but sadly, he has nowhere to go. He can’t be returned to the construction site for fear of being attacked again. He can’t go to the kennels either as his wound is still slightly wet and we are concerned of a further infection. We have spent more than $5000 treating him and hope he finds a foster soon so we can save the funds for our other rescue dogs. Furthermore, Benjamin is terrified of being out in the open and would benefit from being in a home environment where he feels safe with a patient foster who will teach him love, confidence and trust.
Benjamin
Will anyone come forth to offer to foster Benjamin? Come by and meet handsome Benjamin.
Date:18 Nov (Sunday)
Time:2pm to 3.30pm
Venue:The Animal Doctors Pte Ltd. Block 108, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4, # 01- 94, S (560108). We will be outside of the clinic so as not to crowd the clinic’s entrance and disrupt their operations.
Matthieu has been very depressed in the cage. He has had one acupuncture and two massage sessions but we have been told that it might take months before we even see any improvement. Time is not on his side, his muscles have deteriorated. He has lost quite a bit of weight although he eats well. Both Benjamin and Matthieu are blessed as our volunteers take turns to provide them with nutritious meals twice a day.
Supporting Matthieu
Today we decided to take Matthieu out to get some sun and fresh air. Initially he was a little anxious being out in the open as this was his first time out, since his rescue, but after a while, his eyes lit up and we lay him on the pavement to just enjoy the grass and to watch the world go by. It was the first time we have seen him smile!
Matthieu can no longer use his hind legs
Happy to be out in the sun!
Would you like to meet sweet Matthieu and Benjamin? Come down and meet them this Sunday. Our volunteers will be down to spend their Sunday with the boys and we hope to see you then!
HOPE 2013 calendars will also be on sale inside The Animal Doctors.
He was brought in paralyzed from the waist down, emaciated, reeking of pee and covered with open wounds. After a week at the vet, he is now eating well, but still spends most of his days catching up on the sleep that was deprived of him during all those years living on the streets, fending for himself.
Matthieu has also been receiving a steady flow of visitors. He is friendly and calm with the attention, but he doesn't like to be handled with for too long, and will struggle and turn away after a while. Still, he is a sweetheart and likes being around people - if it is quiet and no one is around, he would howl a bit - not excessively but just for a few seconds to remind you he is there. Once someone turns on the radio or talks to him, he calms down again. He loves food, especially fish treats.
Matthieu dragged himself mostly on his left side
The surgery to remove his scrotum was a success and he is healing well although the stitches are still on. He dribbles pee and the doctor reckons he is unable to pee on his own for now. Without a catheter, he will drip pee and get urine burns, so he is keeping the catheter for now but we hope not in the long term.
His muscles have slowly wasted away
The wounds on his body are slowly drying up and healing but his leg wounds are very raw and sore and his two back paws are still bandaged.
Fiona and Lily (a volunteer) brought him to visit Dr Ben Landon, an animal surgery specialist from Landon Veterinary Services, where he was warded for the night as Dr Landon wanted to do more imaging on him, as well as a CT scan to narrow down where his injury is. We found out that Matthieu has a compressed spine - it could have been caused by old age, or trauma (eg, something heavy fell on him), but we are unable to say for sure, nor do we know how long his spine has been this way.
Dr Landon trying to get Matthieu to stand
His one night stay and the digital imaging cost us $2,100. Some might say it's a lot of money but having saved him, we just want to do our best for him and perhaps one day he will walk again. And Fiona says she is used to selling stuff to pay vet bills J
Painful paws
Dr Landon said Matthieu has reflex actions but the muscles on his hind legs have wasted away and he could have been injured for about 6 weeks or more. Given he is not young, recovery might take months, if he walks again at all.
Sadness in his eyes
In the meantime, hydrotherapy, acupuncture and canine massages may help - if he shows no improvements after 3 weeks, we were told to consider spinal surgery. Yes, it is a big risk and no guarantee that he will get better. But given that Matthieu cannot walk, how much worse can it get? Nonetheless, it will cost $5,000, which is a lot of money, and it is something we are still considering.
Checking Matthieu's reflexes:
A canine masseuse, Natasha, visited Matthieu on Sunday and spent an hour working on him. He seemed to enjoy the massage and the attention. We intend to have this twice a week for the next three weeks, and hopefully see some improvements. He can’t yet go for hydrotherapy as he has his catheter on. Proceeds from the sale of our HOPE 2013 calendars will help pay for his massage sessions and vet bills, although it seems to be going faster than we can sell. Matthieu seemed to like Natasha and would turn to look at her ever so often. Natasha pointed out that the right side of his body is extremely muscular. The muscle on his right forearm is huge and bulging, which would mean that he could have spent at least two months dragging himself with his right front leg, while using his back right leg to kick forward, straining those muscles. On Wednesday, an acupuncturist from The Animal Doctors would be seeing Matthieu and assessing him, before she starts working on him as well.
Matthieu is actually ready to go to a foster home, and there isn't much the clinic can do for him at this point. He just needs as much acupuncture and massages as possible in the next two to three weeks and we hope for miracles, like we always do and sometimes, they do happen. A home environment would benefit Matthieu tremendously, rather than just lying alone in the cage.
Last week, Mr Aziz and his entire family visited Matthieu at The Animal Doctors – him, wife, son, daughter and even “Nenek” (grandma). Mr Aziz wore gloves and patted him affectionately, calling him “Boy Boy”. He thanked us for saving Matthieu, although it should be us thanking him for caring for Matthieu all this time and looking for help to save him.
Mr Aziz visiting Matthieu "Boy Boy"
Mrs and Mr Aziz talking to Matthieu
Mr Aziz said after he noticed Matthieu could not walk, he fed him twice a day. On weekends, he would bring his wife down and they would feed Matthieu with biscuits and bread. He related how one evening he had gone down for a second feeding and could not find Matthieu – it was pouring and him and his wife searched for two hours in the rain to no avail.
He then spent all of the next day worrying about Matthieu and was relieved when Matthieu eventually showed up. Since Matthieu became partially paralyzed, his mind was always on how to help the dog -he worried more for Matt then he did for his own kids, he said.
Seeing Matthieu saved and in the hospital was Mr Aziz’s best birthday present ever (his birthday had been the day before) and he told us he was thankful that Matthieu was ok and received the help and care he needed.
We were touched by his comments, his compassion and love for Matthieu and have been keeping in touch. We have delivered food to his factory and will continue to provide food on a monthly basis as long as Mr Aziz is willing to feed the dogs there.
Till today we have never seen Matthieu smile or wag his tail but we hope that one day soon, he will.
Thank you Mr Aziz, we salute your kindness. Matthieu is indeed blessed to have Mr Aziz look out for him and love him so much, and that is why we will do what we can for Matt and hope that he will one day walk again.
We thank everyone who has contributed to Matthieu’s vet bills, and food for his factory. Matthieu is grateful for your love.
Contributors : Lin Yanqin, Leslie Kok and Lily Woon.
After a traumatic, harrowing rescue, and a three-hour surgery for his gaping wound that required other dogs to be on standby to give him a blood transfusion, the worst appeared to be over for Benjamin.
He has spent the two weeks recovering, waiting for his wound to dry completely and for his strength to return.
His wound has dried up since this was taken
Ben's wound
The doctor did warn after the surgery that his wound might split open because of the tension from the stitches and the constant movement from his head / neck. Two days later, the wound did open, by about 1cm.
This afternoon, Benjamin, underwent another surgery to have his stitches removed and the small hole repaired. He has been extremely brave through it all. For now, the wound is being cleaned twice a day, and the focus is on keeping it clean and dry.
Handsome Ben
The harness is left on so its easier to take Ben out for walks
Benjamin's bill has now run to almost S$5,000. We thank the people who have gone down to visit him at The Animal Doctors, cooked for him and contributed to his vet bill.
Ben is still very afraid of people, and shivers when he is brought out of the cage, even when we attempt to bring him out for walks to pee - he trembles badly and freezes on the spot.
Only in the past few days has he allowed volunteers to gently pat his head, but that's about all - he remains very fearful.
He has been at the vet for about 15 days and will be ready for discharge in two days’ time. We would be rehoming him but for now, he requires a patient foster to instill in him confidence and trust in humans.
Skinny and still wary of humans
So scared he just freezes
Benjamin has nowhere to go. The cheaper kennels that we can afford have no space for him, possibly due to the holiday season.
These stitches have been removed
Click below to watch how fearful Benjamin still is:
If you can foster Benjamin or give him a permanent home, please email us fiona@hopedogrescue.orgHe has gone through so much, please help him. We can’t keep him at the vet any longer as his bills are more than we can afford.
Contributors : Leslie Kok, Lin YanQin and Dawn Wong
Daryl's Kindness :
It wasn't much but it was everything he had, and eight-year-old Daryl was willing give up every last penny to do his part for Benjamin. And his big heart makes that $6 donation one of sweetest gifts HOPE has ever received. His mother, Yiu Lin, had been preparing to make a donation to HOPE to fulfil a birthday wish from her sister-in-law Natasha, who had generously asked her friends and family make to a donation to HOPE instead of giving her presents for her birthday this year. Little Daryl, upon seeing pictures of Benjamin on Facebook, decided he wanted to he wanted to help the poor dog, and told his mother he wanted to donate every last cent in his piggy bank - a total of $6. "He was really saddened by the picture, and wants to help Benjamin in any way he can," said Yiu Lin in an email to HOPE. Daryl's generosity and earnest desire to help has warmed all our hearts here at HOPE, and he sets a great example for everyone to think beyond one self, and spare a thought for the poor animals out there that need our help. We hope more parents can raise their kids to show the same kind of compassion and maturity as Daryl did!
I don’t cry easily. Not because I am numb to the plight of the dogs I rescue almost on a daily basis, but over the years, it has become almost like a “job”. I rescue, take them to the vet and when they recover, our team of volunteers try their best to find homes for them. If that is not a possibility, then the dogs either go back to where they came from, or to the kennels. Kennels are not our favourite place. Staying at the kennels is not a life. I do feel sad when I see their pain and suffering, but feeling sad does not help the dogs.
Being a street dog is not easy. They have to fend for themselves, look for food and shelter. They get attacked, abused, bullied and hurt. Life is difficult for a normal healthy stray. Imagine how Matthieu lived. Old, paralysed from the waist down, he hung on to life for more than 2 weeks, waiting for us to come for him. He hid under a trailer, dragging his emaciated body on rough gravel; he reeked of pee when we found him, was terribly dehydrated, muscles wasting away, abrasions and huge wounds all over his body but mainly on his left side as that was the side that he dragged himself on. His testicle was swollen to more than 3 times its normal size and it was filled with maggots. Imagine the pain, suffering and discomfort. Now imagine what a survivor Matthieu is.
Hardship written all over his face
Let me tell you about this courageous dog, Matthieu (meaning Gift of God). We don’t know much about his past but looking at his face, it sure has not been easy. All we know is that a kind Muslim man, Mr Aziz, has been feeding him for almost 3 years, buying plain bread for the stray dogs living around his workplace. He says that’s all he can afford and he can’t stop work because he needs to feed them. Needless to say, we are touched by his kind gesture. Mr Aziz had asked his daughter to seek help for Matthieu, whom he said suddenly could not walk. It was almost a week later when his daughter managed to find HOPE and wrote in to us. Almost 10 days from the day Matthieu stopped walking, that we managed to coordinate the rescue, took the day off from work and went to help.
I often write stories about the lives and plights of these street dogs who don’t have it easy. Today, I decided that no amount of writing will do Matthieu justice, not even a fraction. One can never imagine how hard a life these street dogs have. Never.
Watch this 4 minute video clip on Matthieu’s rescue and you would understand his courage and will to live.
Mattieu the Miracle Dog
Matthieu is warded at The Animal Doctors, where he collapsed in exhaustion and relief. After checking him, Dr Chee commented that Matthieu was such a survivor.
Maggot infested testicle. Dr Chee was concerned maggots had done grave internal damage and he would never be able to pee again.
Apart from being terribly dehydrated, emaciated, having abrasions and open wounds on many parts of his body, Matthieu seems to be paralyzed from the waist down. Xray reveals that he has a crack on his spine. God has watched over Matthieu, he still has some sensation in his toes, he seems to be able to poo on his own, so that function has not been affected. He has a catheter inserted as maggots have gone into his scrotum and the catheter is to help him pee. He is free from tick fever and heartworm. His white blood count is slightly elevated but this is usually caused by stress and infection. He has undergone an emergency surgery to remove his entire scrotum. There was a risk but it was maggot infested and didn’t leave us much choice.
Matthieu's body was covered with oil
He is exhausted and has spent his days sleeping. He seems to prefer lying on his left so vet nurses need to constantly flip him over to his right as he is now developing bed sores. Extra towels and padding have been put under him to relieve his pain. Dr Chee is monitoring Matthieu and when his condition stabilizes, we will arrange for him to see a bone specialist to find out if his paralysis is just temporary.
Wounds and abrasions from dragging himself on the rough gravel
Go visit Matthieu. He craves for your love and pats. Give him a hug, a kiss and tell him he is now safe, everything will be alright. He is expected to stay at the vet for some weeks.
Contributors : Lisa Goh, Esther Low and Leslie Kok
Note : HOPE has arranged to have dog kibbles and canned food delivered to Mr Aziz on a monthly basis so he can feed the dogs and not worry about food or money. We are also planning to sterilize as many dogs as we can in that vicinity.
We thank The Animal Doctors for their passion and care for all our rescue dogs.
