Its almost the end of January and in just one month to the start of 2022, we have saved Peanut, Jackie, Blackie, Mimi the cat and taken in Buddy, Tipsy the dog abandoned in the farm, Timmy the skeleton dog and last night, one more. Lest you think it’s the season for spring cleaning; let us tell you not to judge like we did. Not all owners who surrender their dogs are unkind or don’t love them.
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| Dear old Jasper |
Let us share with you the sad story of Leo and Jasper. Leo is human, Jasper is the dog whom we just took in.
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| Jaspar has a huge lump in his right ear. |
Leo had adopted an ex-breeding Maltipoo from a breeder some 2 years back and he had asked the breeder if the dog was sterilized. Breeder said yes. A year later the dog came in heat, and he asked the breeder again and the breeder insisted that dogs sterilized will still be in heat. In the meantime, Leo’s father didn’t want the dog in his house and so Leo and his dog moved in with his uncle.
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| At the vet with our volunteer |
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| Discharge dripping from his nose |
The second year, the Maltipoo had her heat again and this time Leo had planned to take the dog to the vet to check but sadly, before he could do that, his dog suddenly collapsed. He rush his dog to the vet and found out the dog had pyometra, infection of the uterus, common in unsterilized females. She was only 9.
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| Checking for spinal pain |
Anyway, during this period, he had moved in with his uncle, who had a 15 year old schnauzer. As the schnauzer got older, his brain started to show signs of dementia. The uncle started getting impatient with the old dog and would kick him away if the dog went near him.
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| Checking teeth. Nasal discharge observed. |
Leo works long hours to make ends meet. When he is home, he takes care of Jasper - feeds him, bathes him, lets Jasper sleep in his room etc. Leo even bought diapers for Jasper so the dog would not pee everywhere and anger his uncle.
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| Rotten teeth. Left side of mouth totally no teeth. |
Three weeks back, Leo had contacted us to say his uncle had an old schnauzer that they wanted to surrender. Thereafter, we hadn’t heard from him again till yesterday. Leo told us he had thought long and hard about giving Jasper up, but his genuine concern was that the uncle would abuse Jasper when he was at work. And so, he made that difficult decision to surrender the dog.
Leo met us at the vet with a bag carrying Jasper’s food, bedding and diapers folded nicely for him. He had taken time off from work to give him a bath before meeting us. If a person doesn’t love the dog, they will not bother to buy diapers, pack the stuff nicely etc – they would probably give you a dirty, smelly dog in a plastic box, like Buddy.
Jasper weighs just 5kg. He is 15 years old.
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| Stomach full of food. Vet is concerned there is a blockage |
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| Seems to have a narrowing of the trachea |
We ran some bloods and did xrays as he has some nasal discharge, which was a concern.
Here’s a summary :
- Bad heart murmur (grade 4-5 out of 6)
- Hind legs were so stiff like chopsticks, he can hardly bend them
- Front legs – arthritis as well
- No spinal and back pain
- Poor vision, poor / no hearing
- Previously had hematoma in left ear
- Left of mouth no teeth at all, right side 4 decayed teeth
- Anaemic / pale gums – will get an iron jab
- Lump inside the right ear but doesn’t seem worrying so to leave it
- Dehydrated – will put on drip but drips needs to start slow as his
- heart is not so good
- Not sterilized – left testicle is bigger than right.
- Kidney / Liver ok
- Xray shows stomach full of food – meds given to poo and try to clear
- food in stomach.
- Incidental findings – bladder stones – can be caused by lack of water or diet
- Ultrasound scheduled tomorrow to check heart and abdomen
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| Senior dogs are so precious |
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| Inserting IV line as he was slightly dehydrated |
Jasper will be warded for a few days till his condition stabilizes. To foster or help with Jasper’s vet bills, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg
For fostering, we require someone with some experience with senior dogs and reasonably attentive to be able to pick up on his health if he is unwell etc. Not leave him alone for more than 3 to 4 hours as he may get hurt / stuck, or can't find water, etc.
