The Real Cost Of That Puppy In The Window

The gravel crunched beneath our feet as we stepped out of our cars. Right away, we could smell the dogs housed in the several kennels that dotted the area. We waited as Fiona, Lisa, and Diane made their way to the puppy mill; we were expecting to rescue at least four dogs that day.

Puppy mills are ‘factories’ where dogs are put through intense suffering, abused by profit-seeking breeders. Breeding dogs are perpetually pregnant or birthing, and spend their entire miserable lives in cages so small that they hardly have any space to turn or stand straight. They will never feel the warmth of the sun on their backs or cool raindrops on their faces. These poor dogs stand on wired floors that dig into their feet, and are sorely deprived of proper nutrition. This leaves them often sick with infections and untreated open sores.

It was my first time joining in a rescue – I had no idea what state the dogs could have been in. Many of them spend their entire lives caged up, reproducing litter after litter of puppies, a wretched existence we desperately wanted to free them from.
 

First to appear in Fiona’s arms was Nora, a female poodle, estimated to be three years old. She had dry flaky skin (a symptom of ringworms) but was such a sweetheart. Apparently, she was always bullied in the farm, hence she seemed very afraid of her new surroundings. She didn’t dare to move, and later at the vet, she didn’t dare to eat. She was extremely afraid of getting attacked by other dogs and clung tightly onto the volunteer who was carrying her.

Fiona and Rina wrapping Nora in towels

Nora's leg

Gratitude in Nora's eyes

Nora was so terrified at the vet, she didn't dare move an inch

Joey was next – a male peki-pom with beautiful golden brown fur that begged to be stroked. He too, had ringworms, but otherwise showed no major problems. He was about a year old, and had a rather dignified manner about him.

Joey safely in Rina's arms

He was followed by a black male Scottish Terrier, whom we dubbed Rob. He was a handsome creature, also about one year old. He had ringworms but his skin condition was not as serious as Nora’s. On our way to the vet, he sat quietly in my arms in a watchful manner, wary and unsure of his destiny.

Rob, with bad skin

Rob waiting to see the vet

Ear mites observed under a microscope (mites were from Rob's ear)

Rob and Sarah waiting for the vet techs to take their blood samples

Then came Sarah, who made my heart wrench when I saw her. She is a Scottish Terrier, also about one, but with severe skin problems. Much of her black fur had fallen out in clumps, where gaping patches of raw inflamed skin were showing. She was also grossly underweight and too small for a Scotty. Carrying her, you could feel all her bones beneath her skin. She kept peeing blood but the vet had not diagnosed her problems yet. She seemed, however, unbothered by her forlorn condition and started sniffing everywhere, rocketing on a leash once we put her on the floor. She is such an easy-going dog who craves attention and cuddles.

Little Sarah

Sarah and Nora safe in the arms of Alicia and Rina

Cleaning up the dogs

Johnathan calming Sarah at the vet. Johnathan is one of our treasured male volunteers.

Sarah, with Joey in the background

Blood in Sarah's pee

Sarah's skin condition was the worst of the lot

Her skin around her eyes were flaky

Swabs from inside Sarah's left & right ears

Blotchy skin on the top of her head and neck

Lola came out last – a female Peki-Pom, also about one. Little to our knowledge, she had a surprise in store for us – Lola was pregnant! An ultrasound scan showed that she was carrying two puppies, and she was about 57 days pregnant (dogs carry puppies for 63 days before giving birth). We were fortunate to find a foster who was able to care for her in such a condition. Three days later, she gave birth to four adorable Peki-Poms! It was a stroke of luck that we got her, or else her pups might have had to spend the rest of their lives reproducing for commercial purposes as well. The vet said it was her first pregnancy.

Lola waiting for her turn to see the vet

Mommy Lola was heavily pregnant (that's Joey in the background!)

Lola's ultrasound scan

Despite the fact that none of these dogs have had an easy or comfortable life, they seemed in high spirits and ready to give humans a second chance. I admire their resilience, but I also felt sad, because it made me think of all the people out there who abuse the simple faith and trust that these dogs have placed in us.  

Despite living in the same farm, these dogs were seeing each other for the first time

Like all the dogs we rescued, all five dogs underwent a series of standard tests on the very day we rescued them to ensure they were in good health. We thank the fosters who showed up that day and waited patiently for hours to bring the dogs home. The dogs were tested on their kidney and liver functions, heartworm and tick fever, and a skin culture for mites and ringworm. Being thorough comes at a cost, but it is important that they are in good health before they are re-homed, lest they infect the family dog in the foster home.

For now, one problem all five dogs have in common is ringworm, a fungal infection.

All the dogs are now with fosters. If you are keen on adopting, please email Alicia at alicia@hopedogrescue.org. Please do note that ringworms generally take about two months to clear.

Only Joey and Sarah are available for adoption at this time. Adoption fee applies and all dogs will be sterilised before they are re-homed.

Each year, hundreds of companion animals are euthanized due to over-population and the neglect of irresponsible pet owners. We need to heighten public awareness and hopefully, with better understanding and compassion, the suffering of the voiceless will end.

Puppy mills sell mainly to pet shops, although they do also sell to individual buyers. These callous puppy mill owners are least concerned about the physical health or psychological well being of their hundreds of dogs. Most dogs are disease-ridden and all are continuously force-bred; just imagine the concept of constant gang rape. They live in filthy conditions that you will never witness, as these places are strictly off-limits to the public.

If you ever hear of anyone who is contemplating on buying a dog, tell him or her about Prince and the horrors that he suffered in a puppy mill. Tell them about the connection between puppy mills and pet shops. Every puppy purchased from a pet store means one more adorable dog from a shelter will never find a home. Help make the puppy mill industry a relic of the dark past by only adopting, and never buying a puppy again!

Please save a life – adopt from a shelter or rescue group.

 

Recognitions

This rescue was a huge team effort and it is not possible without the help of all our volunteers. They were here from 9am to 4pm – at the rescue; at the vet; sending dogs to the foster; and settling them in. Hope Dog Rescue sincerely thanks all 15 of you. This cannot be done without such a terrific and dedicated team.

Written by Lin YQ. Photo credits - Lin YQ and Diane Wong.

Cemetery Dogs - Oscar's Updates

After my encounter with Beano (read more here), I realised that there's so much to be done for animals and so much more in my own capacity that I can help out. I therefore, started to volunteer for HOPE Dog Rescue and my 1st assignment was to ferry Oscar to the vet for his follow-up consultation. 

Oscar is a 6 month old stray puppy that stays in a cemetery (more about Oscar). HOPE came across him when they were carrying out their sterilization project there. Oscar is suffering from Dermodectic Mange and 2 of his siblings had already died a slow painful death from it. He is the only 1 out of the litter left now.


Meet little Oscar. He was so terrified the whole time I was there, he stayed almost motionless in the carrier.



His body is so raw and it's bleeding in some areas



My heart was heavy with despair while I edited these photos. It must be sheer torture for Oscar.

Oscar's little paw. Open sores cover parts of his body.

His skin is dry and crusted

I know HOPE had their hands full recently with Beano and Babu suffering from canine distemper. And on the night that I was sending Oscar to the vet, I learned that they were rushing a kitten, with an eye nearly popped out, to the vet too. 

I am grateful to the kind people from HOPE for not giving up on these strays. An easy option would have been to put them to sleep because treatments are expensive. But they had never withheld treatment just because these are strays. 

In addition to keeping Oscar, Beano and Babu in your prayers, I'm appealing to all to help in whatever way you can. If you have a car, perhaps you can volunteer to ferry the pets around. Or perhaps foster a dog.

 

Story and photographs by Esther Low.

 

Note from Fiona : Oscar has been warded at Mount Pleasant Animal Clinic (Bedok) since Tuesday as he was not eating, drinking and feeling rather down. He has been put on drip and will be discharged today (Friday). We thank Esther for fetching Oscar to and from the vet.

 

Oscar will be heading back to the kennel this evening. We thank kind sponsors for paying for his stay at the boarding kennel. We appeal to anyone who has some space at home to please foster Oscar, even if it's for just a few weeks. His skin needs constant cleaning and proper care. He is a young puppy and has been through so much. He has lost his two siblings, we can't afford to lose him as well.

 

Oscar has ringworms as well, so ideally the foster needs to be someone with no pets at home or to keep Oscar separated from their pets. To help, please sms / text Lily at 9880 6082.

Cemetery Dogs

I was tasked to collect a carrier and fetch it to a cemetery where a young puppy, with skin problem, was waiting to be brought to a vet.

HOPE came to know about this puppy as they have just completed a sterilization project on Beano’s factory and have moved on to a new sterilization project for the cemetery dogs.

My job was just to transport the carrier from point to point and I would go home. Job accomplished. Or so I thought.

But it was not that simple. Just as I was leaving, Mr Ng, the caretaker at the cemetery, called to say that he had caught the sick puppy. I made a U-turn  immediately and met the puppy which Lisa would later name Oscar.



This is little Oscar, all of 6 mths.



There were originally 7 dogs living in this cemetery. 4 adults and 3 puppies. Oscar had 2 other siblings but both of them died a slow death from the same problem that Oscar now faces. Had we known earlier, we might have been able to provide them with medical help. Sadly, we have just started on this sterilization project and just come to know about poor Oscar but we hope it’s not too late to save him.

He lay in the cage with fear and sadness in his eyes, as if resigned to his fate. Mr Ng had helped to put him in the carrier and given him some biscuits but he was either too weak or too wary of humans, and didn’t show any interest in the biscuits. I could see that his skin was terribly inflamed, raw and sore and he was very sick. He needed immediate medical attention. I knew I could not just walk away. I called Lisa and we decided that he needed to see a vet immediately. I then drove for about an hour to bring him to the vet at Bedok. As I was driving, I could hear him cry and I could smell his sickness, sort of like rotting flesh.

In the carrier on the way to the vet

At the vet's, he would not come out of the carrier. He needed to be coaxed with food to come out. At first, he was wary. He turned his head away. We spoke to him and the vet tech slowly got closer to Oscar and touched him gently on his head. Gradually, perhaps convinced that he would not be harmed, he turned to eat his food. He got out of the carrier he was in, hesitated and then decided that he was not that hungry to take further risk and retreated back to the carrier. The vet tech then crawled a little into the carrier and wrapped Oscar with a towel and carried him out. Oscar cried in fear. His eyes widened with panic and bewilderment. I was told he could only be about 6 months old.  

This is Oscar's home

The water that Oscar drinks

 The vet took a sample of his skin to test for mites and found that he has Demodex Mange or Red Mange. It is a common form of canine mange which burrow, feed and reproduce under the skin of dogs and usually signify an underlying immunodeficiency. Mange causes severe irritation with symptoms of inflammation, itching and hair loss. Once the dog begins scratching, soreness and redness begin to develop leading to crusty skin and scabs. I was told that in severe cases, when the immune system of the dog suffers because of any number of circumstances, it can be life-threatening. Oscar has rather severe demodex mange. His skin was terribly sore and oozing pus. I took a look at the mites under the microscope and there were many and they looked malicious.

Mites, seen under the microscope

Demodex Mange is not typically contagious from dogs to dogs or to people and can be treated. However, with Oscar’s severity, it might take months before we see positive results.

Getting proper food and shelter for the first time in his life, at the clinic

Little Oscar all curled up and resting

We are appealing for a foster to help care for Oscar till he finds a permanent home. If we can’t get a foster, we would have to return him back to the cemetery. He needs medication and care. We have opted to give him weekly injections to treat his mange as it is not possible to feed him daily medication at the cemetery. As it is, this little puppy hardly gets a regular meal living out in the wilderness. . . . .

Oscar is my first rescue and long after I have left him, I could still see him and hear his cries. I know the reality is that if we can’t find a foster for little Oscar, he would be returned to the cemetery tomorrow. I fear he will not survive without proper care. He doesn’t even have proper shelter and food. I hope that he would still be waiting for me to pick him up for his weekly jabs next week, until he is stronger or better yet, we find him a foster who would nurse him back to health and perhaps a forever home.

Written by Lily Woon. Photo credits : Lily, Amanda Liew, Nicholas and Iris Ng

Updates on Babu Boy and Beano

Babu Boy

We thank everyone for your prayers, words of encouragement and support. Finally, we have some good news to share on Babu!

His condition is now, overall, considered improved and stable.

Over the weekend, the vet told us there was no noticeable teeth chattering or ear twitching during the hour that a vet nurse was with him. His breathing is much less rapid now, at 48 breaths per minute. The normal rate is 24 to 30 breaths.

Babu managed to drink some milk and liver soup. He loves Magnolia milk and drinks almost one large pack a day. He is also starting to eat some duck and chicken meat. We know it’s not the healthiest of foods but as long as he is eating, we’re pleased! He has lost so much weight, having not eaten for almost 10 days. He is gaining strength and responding to his name when we call him from outside the isolation room.

Babu, taken before he fell ill

We thank Veronique for bringing food and milk to Babu everyday.

We are so glad that Babu appears to be growing stronger. Please continue to keep Babu in your prayers. If all goes well, we can discharge him in a few days to a foster's home. Would anyone be able to foster Babu?

Beano has distemper!

After we found out Babu Boy had distemper, we tested Beano last week and his results gave the all-clear. However on Saturday, the hospital called to inform us that Beano has tick fever and heartworm. We also realized that he was losing weight and coughing. We were extremely worried and immediately discharged him from the hospital to take him to another vet for a distemper test.

Eye, nose and saliva swabs to test for distemper at another clinic

Nick assisting while Dr Chan draws blood to test Beano for heartworm and tick fever. Because of Beano's distemper, and as a safety precaution, he was not allowed into the clinic

As a precautionary measure, Beano was not allowed in the clinic and we waited outside for him to be tested for distemper. The eye, nose and saliva swabs were tested and to our shock, little Beano was tested positive for distemper. Beano was vaccinated after initially testing negative for distemper a week ago, so we are monitoring to see if his symptoms and test results arose due to the vaccination. We are saddened  and worried by this piece of news.

Poor Beano and Babu have gone through so much pain and suffering, one after the other. We don’t want to speculate how Beano got distemper.  

Thank you Sherry, Nick and Iris for fetching Beano to the vet and waiting all Sunday when Beano had no foster to go to. We also thank Joanne for rushing to get a van and asking a family member to foster Beano temporarily, and sending Beano to his foster home.

Beano's wound is much better but its taking a long time to close up

Little Beano

Beano's left ear has curled up after his injury. We're not sure if he has lost hearing in that ear

Beano's ears flip backwards now

We thank Rina, who cancelled her own medical appointment, to bring Marcus and Laurel to test for distemper today. Since both dogs share a kennel and were in the same hospital as Beano, we became worried as Marcus had a runny nose and kept sleeping as he was very tired (we recognized these as symptoms of distemper). Fortunately, both Marcus and Laurel's results reflected negative for distemper. 

This is Marcus with Sherry. Marcus is an old rescued street dog. Stay tuned to his story on our blog. Marcus lives in the boarding kennel with Laurel

Laurel stays at the kennels and is waiting for her own forever home. Save a life and adopt Laurel.

Lisa and Rina walking Marcus and Laurel. They took these two doggies for an ice-cream outing and Laurel absolutely loves vanilla ice-cream!

Beano and Babu Boy contracting distemper has caused us a lot of unnecessary money, time, worry and effort as we had to track back on all the dogs which had been at the previous vet centre and sending all of them for distemper tests. It has been a logistical nightmare and is extremely tedious for all our volunteers. We’ve also had to disinfect our cars and send our own pets for distemper tests.

Beano

Now Babu urgently needs a foster because the clinic has only one isolation room, which must be released for Beano as he desperately requires treatment for distemper, seeing how he has not eaten for the past 3 days. We intend to discharge Babu by this Thursday evening. He needs someone with a helper home all day to observe him although his condition is, thankfully, now stable. Please get in touch with us if you or someone you know is able and willing to foster Babu Boy. Preferably someone who does not have dogs at home. Email alicia@hopedogrescue.org


We would like to thank everyone who has gone out of their way to help our dogs, and showed concern for them. As always, your compassion touches us.