Holly - The Camp Dog

 Teamwork!

We got the camp dog!

A friend, Karen, had linked us with Ling from SOSD and after Ling contacted the relevant army personnel with suggestions on how to assist in trapping the dog, their team were very helpful in luring the dog into an escape proof enclosed room. Ling and trapper Mark then managed to secure the dog; a tired, battered soul, she was.

We would like to thank the military personnel for their kind assistance in this matter. We apologize if we unintentionally got people into trouble.

We have named her Holly.

Holly is at the vet and will have blood works done as well as a skin scrape to ensure she does not have any contagious skin issues before going into a foster home. From the looks of it, she just has extremely bad skin and had scratched herself till her skin bled. Her thin frame is a bag of bones.☹️

Holly will stay at the vet for 2 days, as we buy time looking for a foster. HOPE does not have a shelter and we rely on fosters to care for our dogs till they are adopted.

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We need the following help urgently :

1) Foster – please fill this foster form http://goo.gl/forms/2SF2X06AMh

2) Help with dog trapping and vet bills

Our email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg if you wish to contact us.

You showed your concern in our earlier post and now we need your help for Holly.

*Photographs courtesy of Ling

Fostering for HOPE

Taking care of senior dogs is not easy. But, it would mean the world to them.

You may have seen our constant posts for fosters, and some of you have written in. Yet, we continue to post for fosters, because we can't find the right fit.

Pet fostering provides temporary care to rescue dogs who get to live in a safe home environment and begin their rehabilitation. It can be from a few months, to years, depending on when the dog gets adopted, and the foster's tenacity. Our minimum fostering period is 4 months as we try not to disrupt the dog's schedule by moving from one place to another as this might make them anxious especially since many of them were abandoned / given up.

Here are some facts to consider if you are thinking of fostering:

1. Many are senior dogs – so they should not be left alone for more than 3 hours a day. Some have poor vision, and may not be able to find the water bowl, or pee / poo all over. There are others who need to go down to pee, require medications/ wound cleaning, or small meals throughout the day.

2. Some, like Malcolm, have severe separation anxiety and will go berserk if left alone for long hours. Some may even destroy things in the house trying to get out or to their human.

3. Our foster must be willing to provide at least 2 to 3 home-cooked meals a day, and monitor fluid intake. Some dogs may be intolerant to certain foods so their diet has to be very specific or they may develop other health issues which then need to be treated. Senior dogs also generally have to be coaxed to drink and can quickly become dehydrated.

4. Some dogs require experienced fosters who can provide injections or subcutaneous fluids (subcut).

5. We work closely with the foster who is expected to observe the dog and give feedback constantly. This is especially so for sick dogs, like Olive & Chloe who have cancer.

6. We would need the foster to pay for food, while HOPE pays for the vet bills, although any help from the foster is very much appreciated.

If you have the above criteria and wish to help our dogs, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sgor fill out this form - http://goo.gl/forms/2SF2X06AMh 

Helping an old JRT, Apple

Apple wandering off on her own (Photo taken by a passer-by)

Last week, we were informed that there was an old lost dog wandering the streets under a block at Petir Road. When we found the dog we noticed that her nails were really long and curled up (this can be very painful for dogs). From our past experience, sometimes the dog could belong to older persons who let their dog roam and expect the dogs to come back and are at times not even aware that they need to groom the dogs and clip the nails. 

Of course, also sometimes it could be that they may not have the financial means to do so or sadly at times, they just don’t prioritise it, at the expense of the well-being of their poor dog. 

Eventually, we were able to track the owner after her dog had been returned to her. We managed to find out that a neighbour had bought the dog kibbles because sometimes the family forgot or could not find the time to feed.

Apple at the vet with a volunteer

The dog’s name is Apple, a 15 year old white Jack Russell Terrier and she belongs to an 80 year old lady. Apple was given to her by her daughter in law, when she got married. 

Our volunteer approached the family and offered to take Apple to the vet, and HOPE would help with the vet bills – for a basic blood test and a much needed nail clipping. After some persuasion, the owner agreed.

Extremely overgrown nails

We took Apple to the vet, together with the owner, for blood tests and her liver readings were a bit high and she needs supplements for this. Her neighbour has agreed that she will go over daily to feed the supplements. 

Huge growth on her right paw

Apple also has a rather large growth (visible, pink, and big) on the right front paw and she needs a minor surgery to remove it. We have yet to arrange as we are truly concerned that the family may not be able to provide the post-surgery care and that may result in the surgical site becoming infected. 

In the meanwhile, we will try to persuade the old aunty to surrender the dog to us, because we truly think that it is a very sad life to live in a home that allows you to roam, not bother if you come home or not and occasionally forget to feed. We don’t yet have a foster, but we are worried that Apple could end up getting hit by a car as she is currently allowed to roam in the car park. We hope to be able to help her. 

Eye appears abnormal

A sore on her left leg

Apple’s vet bill from her last vet visit was $285. If you would like to help, please email us at hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg

Pancreatitis

Pancreatitis in dogs is an insidious condition. It is a potentially life-threatening condition, yet the symptoms may not be very obvious at first and even if they are, are common enough that they are usually dismissed or mistaken for something less serious. We had a brush with this disease when Timmy got it. His pancreatitis had led to acute kidney failure and we almost lost him. So we felt that it is important for all pet parents to be aware of what to look out for.

The pancreas is responsible for producing digestive enzymes to aid in digestion. Normally, these enzymes are not activated until they reach the intestines where their work begins. In some cases, the enzymes are activated before they reach their destination and this can result in the enzymes digesting the pancreas itself and the surrounding tissues and organs, causing damage and inflammation to these areas. The inflammation of the pancreas is what we refer to as pancreatitis. This can cause extreme pain to the dog so one of the signs of this is that a dog may adopt a prayer position when resting. The prayer position is where the front elbows are on the ground but the back legs are standing. This is never a good position to find your dog in because this shows that the dog has pain in the abdomen area which is why they are not resting on it. If you ever find your dog in such a position, you should take them to the vet immediately.

Some other signs of pancreatitis are repeated vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness and/or lethargy, loss of appetite, dehydration and fever. Again, these are not specific to pancreatitis and can be signs of other conditions which may be just as serious. As a general rule of thumb, if your dog only exhibits one of these signs, and only infrequently, then you can just monitor them. If multiple signs present at the same time and repeatedly, then you should take your dog to the vet immediately.

Exactly what causes pancreatitis is not known and an attack often happens out of the blue,but there are risk factors that are known to trigger the condition:

•  A high-fat diet is a major cause of pancreatitis, especially when a dog has a large helping of fatty food in one serving.
• Dogs who are obese, have diabetes or endocrine disorders may also be more susceptible to the condition.
• Certain medications such as corticosteroids may also trigger the condition.
• Some small breed dogs like miniature schnauzers and  other terrier breeds are simply more predisposed to developing pancreatitis.

Pancreatitis can be life-threatening and should never be treated with any home remedy. Types of supplements should always be discussed with your vet before giving them to your dog as some supplements may worsen the condition. For example, fish oil, though counterintuitive, has also been shown to lower lipid levels which can help. However, human studies have shown that probiotics actually worsens the condition.

Prevention is always the best medicine, and just as in most cases, it is important to make sure that you feed your dog a healthy, balanced (for canines, not humans) diet that is low in fat. However, sometimes you may do all the right things and yet fate has just dealt the dog a bad hand so it is critical to stay vigilant and be aware of the warning signs that your dog may be in distress. If ever in doubt, always err on the side of caution and take your dog to the vet. Better to be kiasu than not!

Olive, another Kai Kai (New Rescue)

Sweet Olive has gone to a volunteer’s home because we have not found a foster for her. She is still settling in and missing her family lots. She whines for them and stares at the door all day, waiting for them to come back for her. 

When people decide to give up their dogs, they don’t see the sadness and dejection that we see. The dogs would be thinking, why me? Why give me away? What did I do wrong? And the answer is always the same; they did nothing wrong. In fact, despite being given away, these dogs still love and remain loyal to the ex-families. 

We have done blood tests for Olive and her results are surprisingly good. Olive is 10. Olive has a huge tumour in her right ear – we can’t even begin to imagine how long she has lived with that pain and discomfort; blood constantly oozing down her face. We did a chest x-ray to see if her cancer has spread to her lungs but fortunately, we don’t see the spread yet. 

Olive has a pretty bad heart murmur, Grade 4 (out of 6) and so any surgeries that she undergoes, there is a risk of losing her on the table; but how do we let her go on living with a huge oozing ear tumour?

Olive was surrendered at the vet

Very bad skin chewed till she bled

We wonder how long she has been living with this huge tumour?

Next step, Olive will be scheduled for a heart ultrasound asap, followed by a surgery to remove the tumour. Its going to cost a lot and we will need to start raising funds for that soon. 

Extremely dry eyes

Rescuing senior dogs doesn’t come cheap because they often come with a host of health issues and often it is our very own volunteers that pay from their own pockets. One volunteer sponsored Olive’s home grooming as she was a smelly mess. And how cute she looks now! The volunteers also bought her a collar, harness, name tag, pee pads etc all from their own pockets. 

After home grooming, sponsored by a volunteer - so much neater  <3 

Huge tumour in her right ear

If you would like to contribute to Olive’s ultrasound and upcoming surgery to remove the huge tumour on her ear, please email us hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg Thank you.

Olive looking cute after her grooming 

Matilda Happy Ever After

I've been fostering Matilda for awhile now and finally decided it was the right time to officially adopt her. 

Throughout the period as her foster, I've always treated her as an official member of our family and her presence has really brought us together. 

Read Matilda's story http://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/2015/06/news-from-vacated-factory-3.html

Ying Jie & Matilda 

Even though they say fostering/adopting a dog changes their lives, I would say that she has changed mine. With her goofy personality, antics and the improvement she has made through her walks, she has taught me unconditional love, patience, and resilience in ways I cannot fathom. I also see my family start to change and grow accepting of her since she entered our lives – from being skeptical about the idea of having a dog, to opening their hearts to her and showering her with love (and plenty of pats and treats). 

I would like to thank HOPE for the support and trust given to us over the years, I would not have done it without Fiona and the team's support.

Written by: Ying Jie

Patience plays a big part in Matilda’s life . . . . . and finally good things came to all who wait. 

For about 8 years, this brindle beauty has been waiting for the right family to adopt her.

As she is skittish and easily spooked when outside, she needed a patient and firm handler who had experience dealing with skittish dogs, and one who was also physically strong enough to withstand her tugs.

In the early years, Matilda’s skittishness led her to a couple of unintended solo adventures; holding the unfortunate record of having been lost the most number of times. Fortunately, thanks to our volunteers’ help, Matilda was found safe and sound.

Matilda had been present at many meet-and-greet sessions to meet her potential family. Although a permanent home eluded her all these years, fortunately, Matilda had a great foster who patiently fostered her all these years. Matilda thrived under her care. 

There is a special bond between foster and dog after having been together for 5 years.

Recently, we approached the foster to ask if she would consider making Matilda an official member of her family. She shared with us that Matilda had all along been seen as part of her family. Her parents had wanted her to graduate from school and start working, so she could be financially responsible for Matilda. Her time is now - Matilda has been adopted by her foster, Ying Jie and family, and we couldn’t be happier for yet another foster fail!

Baby Matilda

Patience has finally paid off for Matilda. Good things indeed come to those who wait. We wish Ying Jie and family and Matilda many happy years ahead.

Written by: Hope Dog Rescue

Malcolm the Poodle (owner surrender)

Just when we thought our plates are full and couldn’t take on anymore, we met Malcolm.  

Does he look like a poodle? 

Malcolm is our latest case of owner surrendered dog. At 10 years of age, one would have expected him to be reasonably healthy, able to see and hear well. Yet the poodle that we met looked nothing like that. Balding in so many parts of his body, his eyes were listless and the face that we laid our eyes on told us this is a dog that has been through so much. 

A visit to our regular vet for the preliminary check and assessment found so many issues that we didn’t know how to list them all, so we shall focus on the main ones:

Did years of infection / allergies cause Malcolm to lose his hearing?

• Chronic allergies leading to hyperpigmentation, thickened skin, intense itch and balding. 
• Cornea scarring and loss of visibility in both eyes due to extreme dryness over a prolonged period. He is estimated to have only around 20% visibility. 
• Deaf in both ears.
• High globulin and enlarged lymph nodes underneath the tongue which could possibly be due to his skin condition. 

Long nails, fur loss :-( 

How long has he been suffering? 

Thankfully his overall blood test results were still not too bad, giving us some hope that with proper treatment and care, he will be able to bloom and lead a better quality of life. He was given an injection to help ease the itch. On his next review he will undergo ultrasound scans and possibly further tests to check for cushings and thyroid issues. He will also need a dental scaling, although this can wait for now.

Mini Zeus? 

Malcolm is currently staying with a temporary foster and we will look into rehomimg him when he is in a better state of health. The road to recovery may take a while but we will not give up on him. Likewise if you feel for Malcolm and would like to contribute towards his medical bills, please drop us a message at hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.