Nicki, homeless this Christmas (Owner surrender)

8 years ago, a family took in a sweet dog for their autistic son. Pets can be a very healing energy for people with special needs so we are not against this. However, pets are not just props and should be treated with love and respect and a member of the family. Unfortunately, this family treated this dog as just that, a prop to keep their son entertained. They decided to surrender the dog to us when their son started bullying the dog recently. They were not able to give us much information about the dog before we picked up the dog. They could not (or would not) tell us if the dog was sterilized or microchipped, what brand of food the dog was on, nor how old the dog was. Only that the dog was called Jimmy. 

Our first meeting with Jimmy was on a rainy day. The family made no effort to shield or protect Jimmy from the rain so we were handed a soaked and trembling dog. And then, we found out that Jimmy was a "she". 

Sensing her owner was going to give her away

This is how she was handed to us 

We have since renamed her Nicki. Nicki was taken to the vet for a thorough checkup. She has dry eyes with discharge in her left eye. Both her ears are also infected with yeast and bacteria. Her skin is also flaky with significant yeast infection and she has severe dental disease. The vet also found a mammary mass in her left mammary gland. A spinal xray was done on her and we found that she has significant arthritis in her lower spine and her kidneys look very enlarged. The vet recommended an abdominal ultrasound to assess further, as well as dental and spay and removal of the mammary mass, but we do not have the funds for this at the moment. Her blood tests show elevated white blood count which could be due to any of the many reasons mentioned above. In the meantime, we have started her on long term eye drops for her dry eyes, as well as a shorter term one to treat the infection in her left eye. She also needs medicated ear drops, shampoo and anti-yeast oral medication to address her many yeast and bacterial infections. She was also given antibiotics for her elevated white blood count and Gabapentin for spinal pain. 

At the vet

Flaky skin and a mammary lump that needs to be removed 

Checking her eyes - she's such a sweetheart <3 

Badly in need of dental 

Feeling dejected

Unkempt; one of the reasons she couldn't walk properly and kept slipping

Through all of this, Nicki is very sweet and did not fuss at all. If you would like to help this girl kick start a new and better life (with a more appropriate name), please consider contributing to her vet bills so she can get the procedures she requires. To contribute, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.

Max, the heartbroken dachshund trapped in his tiny cage

Meet Max, our latest rescue (owner surrendered).

 

Male dachshund, 12 years old, excessively overweight, visually impaired, and a huge tumour in his anus. He was locked up in a cramped dingy metal cage by his owner for 6 months or even more, just because he is blind. When our volunteers got hold of poor Max, he was awfully dirty and smelly.

Max was surrendered by his owner to us on 5th November. We were told, his owner had rescued him some years go, then adopted him. Unfortunately, her well intentioned efforts might have made matters worse for Max. While we understand that the owner is now ill and the dog is blind, this is no excuse for caging a dog with uncomfortable flooring for long periods, and severely overlooked.

As always, our rescues are plagued by sad stories, and Max is no exception. We wonder why people can do this to their dogs. His neglect was so bad, even our vet felt sad for his prolonged pain and suffering. His anal tumour which measures around 4 to 5 cm has apparently been there for at least a year (according to the owner). Yet, no attempt was made to seek medical treatment, or get help which could have averted the growth of the mass.

If you think this is bad, his suffering doesn't stop there.  He has ulceration in his bum causing him to smell quite bad, poor eyes which are extremely dry and inflamed, cataract in both eyes, and a urinary tract infection likely from a poor immune system, or not being sterilized. Unsurprisingly, he has rotten teeth due to little or no oral care, and a fistula in right oral nasal in his gum. He is also tested positive for ringworm which is a fungal infection on the skin. 

 

His chest x-ray showed blotches in his lungs, which would require further diagnosis. With a list of medical issues this long, and our limited resources, we have to prioritize the best course of action. At this point, our first priority will be his massive tumour. An abdominal ultrasound has also been done.

The good news is the tumour is a benign perianal adenoma (commonly occurs in unsterilized male dogs), but we still have to look at debulking it since it is ulcerated. It has many pockets of bloody fluids and necrotic (dying) tissues, and attached to the anal veins, which limits the extent of excision that can be done.  This makes removing the tumour very challenging and would require a very senior vet to look at it. Considering the discomfort that the mass is causing him, we will explore the removal of the growth despite its risk.

 

Max has since undergone sterilization and dental. There is a chance that the tumour can shrink after castration which allows for safer surgery, but it remains to be seen. He snaps when we touch his tail and bum area, but that is because he is in pain.

Horrible dental hygiene

Huge anal tumour left untreated

Severe skin issues & ringworms 

The day he started living his life! 

Despite all his pain and suffering, Max remains very sweet.  He loves attention, and is happy with human contact.  Often, we see this roly-poly rolling around on the floor playing with his toy, and we can't help but smile even though he is in a pitiable condition. We noticed his love for digging especially with his nose - for doxies, this is instinctual and one way to bring it under control is to ensure they get enough exercise.

 

Sadly, Max has no place to go, and is putting up at our regular vet.  We are urgently seeking a loving foster family to take him in so that he can get the care he needs.

Blind in both eyes 

 To ADOPT him, you should be able to:

 

• Provide 2 home-cooked meals daily (simple fare of boiled meat and vegetables)

• Bring him on 2 daily walks

• Have someone at home such that he is not left alone for more than 4 hours a day. Max has poor vision and will bump into things.

• Be able to feed oral meds, administer eye meds, and clean his ulcerated bum 3x daily

• Give regular medicated baths and mousse 

 

Contact us a hopedogrescue.com.sg if you are able give this poor dachshund a home.

Do Dogs Need Shoes?

Do dogs need shoes? The question may sound silly, but as it turns out, the answer is mostly NO.

In some situations, shoes can be beneficial for dogs, while in others they're unnecessary or even harmful. We noticed some pawrents buying shoes for their dogs as they are afraid that the ground is too hot for their dogs to walk on. If that’s the case, then the weather IS too hot for the dogs to enjoy the walk, as the heat may be too much for these furry pals. 

Dogs sweat through their paws to regulate their body temperature. When a dog’s body temperature rises, the moisture from its paw pads evaporates, cooling its body. By wearing shoes, the body is unable to release the heat which increases the risk of heatstroke. Another reason dogs sweat through their paws is to release toxins from their bodies. When dogs sweat through their paws, the moisture released contains not just water but also some toxins that need to be expelled from their bodies. Lastly shoes can also throw off a dog’s balance and friction as it restricts a dog’s natural ability to feel and grip the ground. 

                               

Our advice is to only get shoes for your dogs if they require it for medical reasons. Shoes and booties can provide support and comfort for dogs with mobility issues. Non-slip orthopedic booties are especially helpful for preventing falls and improving balance. These types of shoes are good for dogs with arthritis, hip dysplasia, or other conditions that make it hard for them to move around – especially on slippery surfaces. Hope this information helps before you purchase Furby a pair of WagWellies! 😝

Lavender (Owner surrender)

One of our volunteers had seen a post in one of the Facebook groups, about an owner wishing to rehome his 2 dogs as he had no time to take care of them. He and his wife had gotten the dogs and his wife had loved them dearly but she had passed away 2 years ago. And since then, he has had little time to care for them on his own. 

Lavender

By the time we contacted the owner, the male dog had already been adopted by someone. So our volunteer made time to go down to screen the other dog to see if we would be able to help with her rehoming. 

When the volunteer went down, she immediately noticed that the dog was in a horrible state and agreed to take her in at once. Our volunteer brought the dog home and observed that she was a very sweet girl, if a little wary. She was very loving and curious but would not enter rooms without approval from people. It is amazing that she was still such a sweet girl towards humans, and with such good manners even after being neglected like that for, what we hope was only, the past couple of years. She also did not seem to have any serious separation anxiety and was able to be alone in a room too. We have since named her Lavender.

Our volunteer brought Lavender to the vet the very next day. Despite her sweet smelling name, Lavender was very smelly. She smelt yeasty and was scratching non-stop until she had broken skin and started bleeding. She was tested for ringworms but the results will only be out in a couple of days. For now, we will try to address the itching as best we can and prevent her from scratching herself raw.

Fur loss due to excessive scratching and licking

She had never been out for walks, her legs are extremely weak. She didnt even have a collar or leash.

Bald spots on most parts of her body and boy, does she smell bad! 

Open sores from constant licking / scratching

It pains us when we see dogs who have come to accept that a sad and neglected life is the norm

In the meantime, everybody, please welcome Lavender to the HOPE family. She is a poodle-mix, about 8 1/2 years old. We will be posting more about her test results in the coming few days and when we think this sweetheart will be ready to be rehomed so do keep a lookout for those posts. If you wish to contribute to Lavender's vet bills, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg

Ean, the stray with an injured paw

Would you believe that there are happy strays? 

Contrary to popular belief, not all strays want a home, want to be rescued or are unhappy where they are. There are relatively happy strays who have the freedom to play, run around with their friends, are sterilized (so they don't constantly get mated on) and have a regular food source and feeders who check in on their well-being from time to time. Despite being exposed to the elements and going hungry and thirsty at times, some strays seem better-off not being a domestic pet and having the liberty to run around as they pleased. 

Although Ean was found with injuries, he isn't a typical miserable stray, like some that we have come across. When an elderly aunty feeder told us about him, we went down to search for him immediately but was unable to locate him. Then another group of feeders went down again in the evening with SOSD's Trap-Neuter-Rescue team and found him resting in a vacated building. Ean seem almost relieved that help had come for him and went into the carrier without much of a struggle. We guessed part of him instinctively knew he needed urgent medical aid. Smart boy! 

 

Ean hiding in the vacated building

 

Blood on floor of vacated building

 

           

At the clinic, because of the extent of his paw injury, he had to be sedated for the vet to assess his condition. His entire paw was maggot infested, there is an awful open wound with a lot of infected and dying tissue – the vet reckoned it's been about a week since his injury. In fact, its so badly infected that his leg is swollen right up to his knee. Imagine the amount of agony he has been through the entire week. Poor sweet boy. The vet estimated that he is a relatively young dog, maybe 5 to 6 yrs old as his teeth are in moderately good shape and he seems to have been sterilized. 

He came from the vicinity of Hay Dairies, which has deep forestation, so it came as no surprise that he has heartworm and also baby worms – We requested treatment for this to be started immediately. X-Ray scans on his left hind paw shows some broken bones and dislocation. Unfortunately all of his toe bones are dislocated and 1 of them is also shattered. 

       

The vet believes that something heavy might have fallen on his paw and in his haste and shock to get away, he might have injured it further. It is unlikely that a vehicle have rolled over his back paw because then he would have other injuries. Based on the severity of his injuries, it is most likely that his entire leg will be amputated because it likely will never heal and he won't be able to bear weight on it. Next week he is scheduled for a heart ultrasound to see how bad his heartworm is – and with the results we will then make a decision to him to go for surgery and proceed to amputate his hind leg. In the meantime, all maggots have been removed from his paw and wrapped up with disinfectant medications. The nurses will sedate him and clean his wound daily to prevent him from going through more pain. It looks like we are in a for a long haul and Ean is expected to stay at the vet for some weeks to fully recuperate from his awful injuries. 

Ean is a very handsome dog, with puppy eyes still and tilts his head curiously at the new environment and people around him. He is also slightly wary but not as skittish is most newly rescued strays. We think he'll start trusting us soon and let us pat him. However this poor little boy is also not eating, perhaps due to his surroundings that are foreign to him and maybe he do not understand why he is there. We hope it's just a simple case of him not being used to such bland hospital food. ☹ 

We need your help and support to see Ean (pronounced Ian) through this difficult time. He has been so brave and its fate and a stroke of luck that we've managed to catch him for medical treatment. The alternative would have been too distressing to imagine.

Email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg if you are able to cheer Ean on for the days ahead with us. Given the extent of his injuries, the vet bills are going to be hefty. We are grateful for any help that you can give. Thank you!

Minnie (Low Income Family)

Minnie - the senior poodle from a low income family.

HOPE has been helping Minnie with her vet bills for the past 3 months after her owner contacted us. Minnie had been unwell for a while, but could not afford to go to a vet as her owner was out of a regular job. Her owner didn't want to give Minnie up, and was at a loss. Then, someone told her that HOPE could help Minnie, without taking away her dog or insisting on rehoming.

 

Minnie is 14. She has ringworms and many open sores on her body, mouth, and ears. The vet told us it is most probable that Minnie has skin cancer, considering that her sores were bleeding and are not healing well. We did not do a biopsy because her skin was poor, and healing would have been an issue after removing a small sample of her skin.

Poor Minnie smells really bad due to the huge tumour in her ear coupled with constant bleeding on the skin - so bad that it leaves a foul odour behind. The vet gave her fentanyl patch (morphine) for pain management, but Minnie did not take well to it after a day. She whined and didn't eat well, so we removed the patch and revisited the vet a day later. Oral pain meds were prescribed this time. 

Throughout her ordeal, Minnie was really sweet and obliging, despite all her pain.

Unfortunately, although her skin fungal issues has improved, her cancer has spread. She also has to deal with joint pain from arthritis and spinal issues. Her owner shared that these days, the pain limits her in her movements. No longer is she the high energy sociable dog who would rush to play with other dogs.

 

For now, the main objective is to keep her comfortable and pain free.

Minnie's recent vet bill costs $1157 after two vet visits. If you can help Minnie, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg. Any help is appreciated.

Our Rescues - They Need You

Since HOPE Dog Rescue first started in 2011, we have had many furiends come through our doors. Well, not literally, because as most of you may know, HOPE does not have a physical shelter and we rely mainly on fosters and boarding places. Before you read on, can you guess how many rescues are currently under our care now? 😛

Did you get it right? Yes, we have a grand total of 6 dogs and 1 cat under our care now, all of whom are senior citizens and/or with special needs. How well do you know them? Introducing them one by one again, starting from the most senior one. 🥰

  

Chloe: Affectionately known as grandma Chloe, she is a 17-year-old shih tzu surrendered by her owner. Despite being blind and deaf, she's still eating and sleeping well and enjoying life to the fullest.  Read her story

Grandma Chloe aka Piglet

Banjo: We referred to him as the skeletal dog when he was surrendered to us because that was exactly how he looked. He was in a very sad and neglected state but has since blossomed so much. He's 16 years old and looking for a home to spend his golden years. This is his story

Prince Banjo

Olive: This 11-year-old female shih tzu is the only one under our care now who is battling cancer. ☹️ She recently had a lump removal surgery and is overall doing well now. This is the best possible outcome we can ask for this little chilli padi with a big personality!  Her story

Olive aka Chilli Padi

Holly: The camp dog who made quite a headline--her skin was in a very bad state when we managed to secure and rescue her. She can be rather skittish as with other street dogs but it's hard to blame her if she was living in the wild alone all these world. She is a Singapore Special, estimated to be 10 years old. Read her story

Holly

Winter: A breeding farm survivor. Despite her numerous health complications, her independent, calm, and sweet nature endears her to everyone she meets. 

Winter

Inky: Our most recent rescue, who was in such a terrifying state when we found him. Left with only one eye and a fractured jaw, he is still on a long and difficult journey of recovery. He has to be tube fed four times a day now but with your support, we are doing all we can to help him. His rescue story

Inky

At HOPE, we try as much as we can to support senior dogs of low-income senior citizens, in terms of food and vet bills, as well. If you have been following us, you would have read occasionally about Oreo (Aunty Huang's 12-year-old senior dog with ear and eye issues), Taco (Mr Akira's 10-year-old beagle whom we have supported for seven years) and Minnie (14-year-old poodle with severe skin issue).

Being a small group of animal lovers without a physical shelter has its constraints, unfortunately. As much as we love to take in more rescues, our resources are limited; and our priority is to find a home for our senior rescues to spend their golden years in, and to be loved unconditionally.

Find out more about our rescues, whether they are HDB approved or under Project ADORE here: http://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/p/adoption.html

If you would like to sponsor any of our dogs, find out how you can help here: Sponsor-our-dog

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for these years of support. 🫶