Story Of One-Eyed Ted

I was tasked to collect and return Sumi, a kitten that had just been sterilized and vaccinated, from the industrial estate where it was staying. Fiona also needed me to collect another kitten from a worker living in the vicinity and send it to the vet. Over the phone, I learned from the worker that this kitten had an eyeball hanging out of its socket. This made me apprehensive, yet very worried.

Ted at the factory with a worker. The workers took turns to carry him around for fear that other cats would hurt him further. 

Arriving at the industrial estate, I was taken aback by the environment. I have never seen this part of Singapore. The living conditions there are very unappealing by Singaporean standards, possibly even revolting. I have a deep love for cats and have always empathized with the neighbourhood strays but when I saw those industrial strays that day, it hit me how sheltered a life we have been living.  


This is Ted's home.



Ted's regular meal, if there's any left for him.

 

The worker said that there are quite a number of cats living in the factory, many still unsterilized.  I followed him into the factory to release Sumi while a fellow worker fetched the injured kitten. I was hardly prepared for what I was about to see when they handed the kitten to me. He was very tiny; probably a few months old but it was hard to tell as he appeared dehydrated and emaciated. What really appalled me was the severity of his eye injury. I could see one of his eyeballs covered in blood and the flesh surrounding it was raw pink. It looked like a case of a very serious infection as his eyeball had already rot away, bearing no resemblance to a normal eyeball at all. My heart sank... This poor little creature must have suffered for quite a while for it to have been reduced to this state.

Ted when he was first rescued. The injury had been a while and sadly, his right eye could not be saved.

Ted on the way to the vet with Cherlyn. He was terrified, malnourished and dehydrated. He hid in a corner of the carrier throughout the car journey. 

Immediately, I brought him to the vet to meet Fiona. Throughout the car journey, he curled up in a corner of the carrier and did not move. He stayed so still that there were moments when I actually thought he had died, so I kept checking his breathing to make sure he was still alive. Watching him struggle so silently, I knew he must have been in much pain and discomfort. Dr Ang, the vet on duty, tended to him. I was hoping for the best but the moment she saw his eye, she told us that there was no way it could have been saved. The only way was an operation to remove the infected eyeball. The cause of the infection is unknown. It may have been due to an injury sustained from cat fights or bacterial infection that had been left untreated for some time. Unfortunately, the eye surgery could not be performed immediately as he was too dehydrated and malnourished. We had to put him on drip and wait a couple of days for him to regain his health and strength. Dr Ang confirmed that he is a male and estimated him to be 7 months old, although he looked really small. I named him Ted.

He was malnourished and rather small for his age. He looked like a 5 month old kitten although the Dr estimated him to be about 7 months old.

Brave little Ted after his eye removal.

A couple of days later, Ted was stronger and the surgery was carried out. He was also sterilized in the process. Ted’s eyeball was removed and the hollow socket was stitched up. We have decided not to release Ted back to the streets for fear that he may not survive another attack or accident. With one eye missing, he won't be able to see well or dodge moving vehicles.

In order to control the cat population in this factory, we have started sterilizing them. The workers estimate at least 30 cats! If you would like to help with vet bills for these street cats or Ted, please email fiona@hopedogrescue.org

Ted has recovered well and needs a home. He is quite a playful kitty and is beginning to behave like how a normal kitten should. He also craves attention by purring a lot, enjoys being cuddled and flopping himself at your feet to rub himself against you. This sweet little boy still has so many years ahead of him, but is yearning for a forever home. Will you please give Ted the loving home that he finally deserves?

Story and photographs by Cherlyn Tan 

Oscar's Updates

  

We had blogged about Oscar previously, but I'm willing to take a bet that you have no recollection whatsoever of this cute little face. And there is a good reason for this. Oscar has been steadily putting on weight and is well on the road to recovery! When I fetched Oscar for his vet review today, I can barely recognize him myself.

Lil' Oscar at the vet

Oscar is looking so much more alert and a lot less tense than when I first saw him. The vet said that he had put on 1 kg in a mere 1 week! I had been told that this little boy loves his food. And that is a good sign :) Skin culture was done, hence the small white patch on the body.

This was how grotesque poor Oscar looked when HOPE Dog Rescue first picked him up at the cemetery. I can only imagine life as a living hell for him. Lest everyone forgets. Oscar is only 6 months old. Still a baby.

And this was when I first met Oscar. Although slightly better but still a pathetic sorry sight. His skin was extremely raw and there were patches of open sores. He was also huddled up like a ball and terribly afraid of his surroundings.

Take a look at our brave little warrior now! He has come a long way and I am immensely proud of him. However, this does not spell the end of the ordeal. Oscar has to go back to the vet weekly for jabs and it will take him a few months to completely recover.

Oscar staying at the boarding kennels. He desperately needs a foster home.

Monthly charges at the boarding kennels don't come cheap and we're hoping someone would come forth to offer him a temporary home. Volunteers take turns to go down daily to feed him his medication. While Oscar's physical condition is improving, I am worried about his psychological condition. When I entered the kennel today, all the other dogs were jumping up and down, barking excitedly. All but Oscar. He lies unmoving, only looking at me with his big brown eyes. As you can see from the photo above, he is all by himself, confined by cold slabs of concrete. This is no way for a puppy to be growing up.

I was cradling Oscar all the time while we were waiting for the vet and I can see that he was slowly warming up to me. His body relaxed and he started to check out the surroundings. And when I placed him in the car, he shifted himself and propped his head up on the hand-rest to look at me. I was all mush when that happened. My heart was won over by him 100%. It became apparent to me that all it takes was love and human touch to mend this broken soul. 

When I returned him to the kennel and placed him on the cold hard floor, he seemed resigned and reverted back to his lifeless self. I was devastated. Sleep will be difficult for me tonight as Oscar's gentle helpless eyes keeps coming to mind. 

Little Oscar desperately needs a home, even if not a permanent one but at least something temporary, so that he need not be placed in a kennel. If you can foster or adopt Oscar, please email alicia@hopedogrescue.org.

Thank you for giving Oscar a chance at life.

Story and photographs by Esther Low.

Rei Of Sunshine In Their Lives

On 3 November 2011, our beloved dog of 13 years left the Loy Family to his little happy land in heaven.

Getting over Wang Wang's demise was so tough as he was very dear to us and we missed the times where he would sleep next to us during bedtimes and snuggling up against us when we were watching TV. He was just like another family member.

Lawrence and I then decided that we would not buy another dog but instead adopt one. We felt that all strays and unwanted dogs deserve a chance to be loved and we believe Wang Wang would gladly want us to share our love with another doggie friend. We started to look around on the Internet and we chanced upon Hope Dog Rescue and there was where we saw Sapporo (formerly known as Rei) for the first time. I could still remember myself tearing when I saw the wounds on his body and I am sure the sadness in his eyes would break all dog lovers' hearts.

Top photo was when Rei was just rescued

As we looked on, it was very heartbreaking to see how strays are being abused and what's even more intolerable would be dog owners discarding their pets because of reasons such as; 'we are busy', 'his barkings are disturbing my kids' etc.

I have many friends and family members to turn to when I am in need, but we are our pet's only family member. How would you feel if your family member discards you by tying you to a bench or puts you up for adoption without an apparent good reason?

Gone are his stray days. He now has a home of his own

It was 7pm on 24 February 2012 when we waited patiently for our new sibling to arrive at our house. We had only met twice before and wonder if Sapporo is going to be comfortable with us? Will he be haunted by painful memories? Will he try to escape?

Getting delicious home cooked food is now part of his regular diet. His head wound is no longer visible.

Nice and round; enjoying his snooze at home

There were many questions in our subconscious mind about adopting stray dogs although finding HAPPINESS for our little friends was our priority. Four months have passed and Sapporo is eating well, playing with his toys, enjoying his walks/jogs, and most importantly, he is such a darling in our eyes. When it rains, we felt so comforted and happy seeing Sapporo sleeping on his little mat, safe and warm in his new home.

Lawrence and Rei (Sapporo). Named Sapporo because it's Lawrence's favourite beer!

Eva and Sapporo; a nice loving family who loves him to bits!

Sapporo

Pedigree or stray? It does not matter as it is just human bias classification over these innocent creatures. Have faith, touch their hearts and we are sure they will touch yours.

Lawrence and Sapporo - enjoying each other. We hope that more people will adopt street dogs and appreciate them for who they are. (And they ARE HDB approved).

Story and photographs courtesy of Lawrence and Eva Loy.

Babu's Homecoming

To our dear readers who have been asking about Babu Boy, we apologize for the delay in updating his condition. Your prayers, words of encouragement and support meant very much to Babu over the past trying weeks.

Today, we have great news! Babu has finally recovered from distemper! Although he can still shed and is contagious to other dogs for the next two months, he can now eat on his own and is ready to be discharged from the vet. Canine distemper is a highly fatal disease, so we are extremely grateful for this miracle and very proud of Babu’s strong fighting spirit. Thank you all for keeping him in your prayers.

During his month-long stay at the vet, we kept in close contact with Babu’s workers and were touched by how responsible and caring they were towards him. On some nights after work, Sharma would ride his motorbike to visit Babu, and his friend, Johnson, would go along. Since we promised Babu that we would gladly let him return to live with his friends at the construction site as long as he showed signs of improvement, we brought him home where he finally belongs. 

Usually, we will rehome the dog if he requires prolonged medical care (i.e. staying more than 10 days at the vet) so that the dog will not feel as if we are abandoning him after nursing him back to health. Since Babu is the first dog that we are returning to a factory instead of an adopter's home, it was our responsibility to conduct a "factory check" and ensure Babu's room at the factory was ready for his long awaited return. Moreover, as it was at a construction site, it would be extremely dusty and we needed to have it washed clean so that the dust would not affect his breathing or the stitches on his leg. We had initially planned to send a vet to Babu’s factory to vaccinate the other two female dogs, until we realized that the workers had already gotten a vet do so; Sharma showed us their vaccination cards. We know they might have lost trust in us due to the unfortunate turn of events in Babu’s case, but nonetheless, we were still touched and pleasantly surprised that they had made the effort to arrange for them to be vaccinated and to pay for the dogs’ vaccination.

The female dogs' vaccination, with the next one due in a month's time

As a further testament to their love for Babu Boy, the workers actually welded a metal kennel for him to minimize his movements. This is so that his legs can heal faster and his breathing will be less laboured. They even installed 3 wall fans in his room, washed the factory floor and cleaned the room in anticipation of his long overdue return! They bought a harness and leash for him, and refused to accept our money when we tried to pay them for it. It was then we knew in our hearts that sending Babu back to them was really the best decision we had made.

On the day of his discharge, a lot of logistics and coordination were required. As his disease was still highly contagious, only volunteers without pets were tasked to hold and carry Babu. Even so, wearing gloves was a must. Joanne ferried Babu in her company van, as it was not used to ferry other dogs. All volunteers and necessary items had to be religiously disinfected before getting close to Babu. The 10 of us anxiously waited 3 hours for his medication to be prepared, his feeding tubes removed, and other procedures completed.

Nicholas disinfecting the van

We exited through the back door to minimize the risk of infection to the other pets in the clinic. Finally Babu Boy emerged and everyone cheered as though the King had arrived. It was a joyous yet tearful moment, as we had never expected that this day would come; to see Babu leave the clinic! He had undergone two leg surgeries and barely pulled through canine distemper. There were too many times when he fell so sick that we felt as though we were already losing him. Thankfully, Babu has proved us wrong yet again, for he is a real survivor. This just goes to show how resilient and hardy street dogs are.

Finally making his appearance!

Checking his leg to ensure his wound was dry and healed

As he was hardly eating during his stay at The Animal Doctors, Babu had to be tube-fed. This resulted in a loss of 30–40% of his weight. However, we knew that bringing him back home to the worksite would inject the hope and optimism he once had in his life, and perhaps even whet his appetite for food, which he certainly needs. Just as we guessed, Babu ate as if he was compensating for all his lost meals – beef, mutton, boiled chicken and Magnolia fresh milk were all wolfed down in a matter of minutes. 

Babu's fan club

Babu is finally going home!

As we drove into the worksite, it was obvious that Babu knew he was home. His tail started wagging vigorously and he was excited. His teeth started chattering more as well. (Babu will forever have to live with his teeth chattering, a symptom of his days of distemper). Babu Girl was sitting near the main gate, on the gravel, patiently waiting for Babu. She had sensed his return. Animals never cease to amaze us. Sharma had told us all three dogs were named Babu. "Babu Boy, Babu Girl. One call Babu, all coming", according to Sharma. It was a cute theory.

Babu Girl waiting for the leader of the pack to return

Sharma and Babu Girl leading the way in. Dogs are loyal companions to mankind and their bond is special.

When we arrived at the worksite, the workers were already waiting in eager anticipation. Carrying Babu to his room, we noticed the happiness and excitement in his eyes as they lit up for the first time in a long time. He sniffed the familiar scent that hung in the air; the workers crowded around to peer in from the windows just to catch a glimpse of the now very famous Babu.

King Bu arrives home

Carrying Babu to his room

Babu's entourage peering into his room

Rina and Sharma putting on Babu's harness

A happy Babu

And a happier Sharma  

Sharma and Babu Girl 1

Sharma and Babu Girl 2

We took about an hour to settle him into his new handmade kennel, and leashed him to prevent him from moving too much. Our volunteers then advised Sharma on Babu’s medications and provided some housekeeping notes.

HOPE Dog Rescue would like to give special thanks to Veronique and Joanne who visited Babu's worksite everyday with freshly cooked food and fresh milk, ensured that he had taken his medication, and checked that his leg was healing well. They continue to check on Babu regularly. We truly appreciate their generosity and kindness, as they had gone out of their ways numerous times for Babu.

We thank Sharma for taking such good care of the three Babus.

We want to thank our friends and volunteers who visited Babu, prayed for him, collected his medications, cheered him up and even soothed him from outside the door of the isolation room. 

Lisa talking to Babu from outside the isolation room

Babu is eternally grateful for all your affections, kindness and generosity. You can be sure that he will certainly live a life with much more HOPE and happiness from now on. 

Last but not least, HOPE would also like to express our special thanks to The Animal Doctors especially to Dr. Cathy Chan and her team of dedicated vet nurses.

Written by Fu Yonghuang

Update On Prince

Prince recently went to the vet for his usual blood test. His blood count has increased from 28 to 34.5. The normal blood count is 35, so he’s almost there! His platelet count has increased from 49,000 to a whopping 86,000. Still below the normal 145,000 but we feel very encouraged by his improvement.

Prince has put on more weight – he is now 4.3kg. His sores have all healed nicely while the scarring on his right eye is slightly better.

Prince now weighs 4.3kg!

His blood still does not clot well, and so Prince bruises easily. Bruises can just appear and his foster has to constantly be on the lookout. He cannot play rough in case he knocks or bumps into something and bruises appear. He needs to be carried gingerly and cannot be held too tightly.

Some areas the foster is keeping a close watch on: black stools, which indicate serious internal bleeding (if this happens, Prince will need to be rushed to the hospital) and nosebleeds, which also indicate internal bleeding.

Prince is eating well and sleeps better. He has even learnt to play fetch!

Watch Prince preparing himself for bed 

Thank you everyone for meeting Prince on Saturday (May 19) and loving him.

Volunteer, Rina, carrying Prince during Meet the Prince session

We thank Prince's fosters for taking such good care of him.

Update: 22 June 2012

Prince in his foster home 

His tummy is getting rounder

Prince has been recovering well in his foster's home and his fur is slowly growing back. His foster commented that he has been quite a cheeky dog too, always pawing at her chair during meal times. He has even shredded bags of dog food. Despite that, we are so pleased that he is now behaving like a real puppy!

The vet mentioned that Prince's stomach has since gotten much bigger but this is certainly not to be mistaken for fat. As a side effect of his steroid medication, Prince's stomach will remain bloated for as long as he needs to consume this medicine. 

Blood stains in his poop

Prince had blood in his stools for a few days. The vet said there could be too much protein in his food or the medication could have been too strong. Further monitoring is required on this.

Apart from all this, Prince's health has generally stabilized and we are extremely pleased with his progress thus far. This little boy has indeed come a long way.

We thank everyone for all their love, concern, contributions and prayers. We will now channel our efforts to helping other rescued dogs that need our love and attention.

We strongly believe in NOT BUYING pets and NOT supporting puppy mills or pet shops that have sale of pets. If you or any of your friends are considering owning a pet, please email alicia@hopedogrescue.org  

We have many dogs needing homes. Tell us what you are looking for and we may have just the dog for you. And you would have saved a life!