Matthieu Gift Of God (Updates #2)

He was brought in paralyzed from the waist down, emaciated, reeking of pee and covered with open wounds. After a week at the vet, he is now eating well, but still spends most of his days catching up on the sleep that was deprived of him during all those years living on the streets, fending for himself.

Matthieu has also been receiving a steady flow of visitors. He is friendly and calm with the attention, but he doesn't like to be handled with for too long, and will struggle and turn away after a while. Still, he is a sweetheart and likes being around people - if it is quiet and no one is around, he would howl a bit - not excessively but just for a few seconds to remind you he is there. Once someone turns on the radio or talks to him, he calms down again. He loves food, especially fish treats.

Matthieu dragged himself mostly on his left side

The surgery to remove his scrotum was a success and he is healing well although the stitches are still on. He dribbles pee and the doctor reckons he is unable to pee on his own for now. Without a catheter, he will drip pee and get urine burns, so he is keeping the catheter for now but we hope not in the long term.

His muscles have slowly wasted away

The wounds on his body are slowly drying up and healing but his leg wounds are very raw and sore and his two back paws are still bandaged.

Fiona and Lily (a volunteer) brought him to visit Dr Ben Landon, an animal surgery specialist from Landon Veterinary Services, where he was warded for the night as Dr Landon wanted to do more imaging on him, as well as a CT scan to narrow down where his injury is. We found out that Matthieu has a compressed spine - it could have been caused by old age, or trauma (eg, something heavy fell on him), but we are unable to say for sure, nor do we know how long his spine has been this way.

Dr Landon trying to get Matthieu to stand

His one night stay and the digital imaging cost us $2,100. Some might say it's a lot of money but having saved him, we just want to do our best for him and perhaps one day he will walk again. And Fiona says she is used to selling stuff to pay vet bills J



Painful paws

Dr Landon said Matthieu has reflex actions but the muscles on his hind legs have wasted away and he could have been injured for about 6 weeks or more. Given he is not young, recovery might take months, if he walks again at all.

Sadness in his eyes

In the meantime, hydrotherapy, acupuncture and canine massages may help - if he shows no improvements after 3 weeks, we were told to consider spinal surgery. Yes, it is a big risk and no guarantee that he will get better. But given that Matthieu cannot walk, how much worse can it get? Nonetheless, it will cost $5,000, which is a lot of money, and it is something we are still considering.

Checking Matthieu's reflexes:

A canine masseuse, Natasha, visited Matthieu on Sunday and spent an hour working on him. He seemed to enjoy the massage and the attention. We intend to have this twice a week for the next three weeks, and hopefully see some improvements. He can’t yet go for hydrotherapy as he has his catheter on. Proceeds from the sale of our HOPE 2013 calendars will help pay for his massage sessions and vet bills, although it seems to be going faster than we can sell. Matthieu seemed to like Natasha and would turn to look at her ever so often. Natasha pointed out that the right side of his body is extremely muscular. The muscle on his right forearm is huge and bulging, which would mean that he could have spent at least two months dragging himself with his right front leg, while using his back right leg to kick forward, straining those muscles. On Wednesday, an acupuncturist from The Animal Doctors would be seeing Matthieu and assessing him, before she starts working on him as well.

Matthieu is actually ready to go to a foster home, and there isn't much the clinic can do for him at this point. He just needs as much acupuncture and massages as possible in the next two to three weeks and we hope for miracles, like we always do and sometimes, they do happen. A home environment would benefit Matthieu tremendously, rather than just lying alone in the cage.

Last week, Mr Aziz and his entire family visited Matthieu at The Animal Doctors – him, wife, son, daughter and even “Nenek” (grandma). Mr Aziz wore gloves and patted him affectionately, calling him “Boy Boy”. He thanked us for saving Matthieu, although it should be us thanking him for caring for Matthieu all this time and looking for help to save him.

Mr Aziz visiting Matthieu "Boy Boy"

Mrs and Mr Aziz talking to Matthieu

Mr Aziz said after he noticed Matthieu could not walk, he fed him twice a day. On weekends, he would bring his wife down and they would feed Matthieu with biscuits and bread. He related how one evening he had gone down for a second feeding and could not find Matthieu – it was pouring and him and his wife searched for two hours in the rain to no avail.

He then spent all of the next day worrying about Matthieu and was relieved when Matthieu eventually showed up. Since Matthieu became partially paralyzed, his mind was always on how to help the dog -  he worried more for Matt then he did for his own kids, he said.

Seeing Matthieu saved and in the hospital was Mr Aziz’s best birthday present ever (his birthday had been the day before) and he told us he was thankful that Matthieu was ok and received the help and care he needed.

We were touched by his comments, his compassion and love for Matthieu and have been keeping in touch. We have delivered food to his factory and will continue to provide food on a monthly basis as long as Mr Aziz is willing to feed the dogs there.

Till today we have never seen Matthieu smile or wag his tail but we hope that one day soon, he will.

Thank you Mr Aziz, we salute your kindness. Matthieu is indeed blessed to have Mr Aziz look out for him and love him so much, and that is why we will do what we can for Matt and hope that he will one day walk again.

We thank everyone who has contributed to Matthieu’s vet bills, and food for his factory. Matthieu is grateful for your love.

Contributors : Lin Yanqin, Leslie Kok and Lily Woon.

Road To Recovery (Benjamin's Updates #2)

After a traumatic, harrowing rescue, and a three-hour surgery for his gaping wound that required other dogs to be on standby to give him a blood transfusion, the worst appeared to be over for Benjamin.

He has spent the two weeks recovering, waiting for his wound to dry completely and for his strength to return.

His wound has dried up since this was taken



Ben's wound

The doctor did warn after the surgery that his wound might split open because of the tension from the stitches and the constant movement from his head / neck. Two days later, the wound did open, by about 1cm.

This afternoon, Benjamin, underwent another surgery to have his stitches removed and the small hole repaired. He has been extremely brave through it all. For now, the wound is being cleaned twice a day, and the focus is on keeping it clean and dry.



Handsome Ben



The harness is left on so its easier to take Ben out for walks

Benjamin's bill has now run to almost S$5,000. We thank the people who have gone down to visit him at The Animal Doctors, cooked for him and contributed to his vet bill.

Ben is still very afraid of people, and shivers when he is brought out of the cage, even when we attempt to bring him out for walks to pee - he trembles badly and freezes on the spot.

Only in the past few days has he allowed volunteers to gently pat his head, but that's about all - he remains very fearful.

He has been at the vet for about 15 days and will be ready for discharge in two days’ time. We would be rehoming him but for now, he requires a patient foster to instill in him confidence and trust in humans.

Skinny and still wary of humans

So scared he just freezes

Benjamin has nowhere to go. The cheaper kennels that we can afford have no space for him, possibly due to the holiday season.

These stitches have been removed

Click below to watch how fearful Benjamin still is:

If you can foster Benjamin or give him a permanent home, please email us fiona@hopedogrescue.org  He has gone through so much, please help him. We can’t keep him at the vet any longer as his bills are more than we can afford.

 Contributors : Leslie Kok, Lin YanQin and Dawn Wong

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Daryl's Kindness :

It wasn't much but it was everything he had, and eight-year-old Daryl was willing give up every last penny to do his part for Benjamin. And his big heart makes that $6 donation one of sweetest gifts HOPE has ever received.

His mother, Yiu Lin, had been preparing to make a donation to HOPE to fulfil a birthday wish from her sister-in-law Natasha, who had generously asked her friends and family make to a donation to HOPE instead of giving her presents for her birthday this year.

Little Daryl, upon seeing pictures of Benjamin on Facebook, decided he wanted to he wanted to help the poor dog, and told his mother he wanted to donate every last cent in his piggy bank - a total of $6.

"He was really saddened by the picture, and wants to help Benjamin in any way he can," said Yiu Lin in an email to HOPE.

Daryl's generosity and earnest desire to help has warmed all our hearts here at HOPE, and he sets a great example for everyone to think beyond one self, and spare a thought for the poor animals out there that need our help. We hope more parents can raise their kids to show the same kind of compassion and maturity as Daryl did!

Natasha and Daryl

Matthieu The Miracle Dog

I don’t cry easily. Not because I am numb to the plight of the dogs I rescue almost on a daily basis, but over the years, it has become almost like a “job”. I rescue, take them to the vet and when they recover, our team of volunteers try their best to find homes for them. If that is not a possibility, then the dogs either go back to where they came from, or to the kennels. Kennels are not our favourite place. Staying at the kennels is not a life. I do feel sad when I see their pain and suffering, but feeling sad does not help the dogs.

Being a street dog is not easy. They have to fend for themselves, look for food and shelter. They get attacked, abused, bullied and hurt. Life is difficult for a normal healthy stray. Imagine how Matthieu lived. Old, paralysed from the waist down, he hung on to life for more than 2 weeks, waiting for us to come for him. He hid under a trailer, dragging his emaciated body on rough gravel; he reeked of pee when we found him, was terribly dehydrated, muscles wasting away, abrasions and huge wounds all over his body but mainly on his left side as that was the side that he dragged himself on. His testicle was swollen to more than 3 times its normal size and it was filled with maggots. Imagine the pain, suffering and discomfort. Now imagine what a survivor Matthieu is.

Hardship written all over his face

Let me tell you about this courageous dog, Matthieu (meaning Gift of God). We don’t know much about his past but looking at his face, it sure has not been easy. All we know is that a kind Muslim man, Mr Aziz, has been feeding him for almost 3 years, buying plain bread for the stray dogs living around his workplace. He says that’s all he can afford and he can’t stop work because he needs to feed them. Needless to say, we are touched by his kind gesture. Mr Aziz had asked his daughter to seek help for Matthieu, whom he said suddenly could not walk. It was almost a week later when his daughter managed to find HOPE and wrote in to us. Almost 10 days from the day Matthieu stopped walking, that we managed to coordinate the rescue, took the day off from work and went to help.

I often write stories about the lives and plights of these street dogs who don’t have it easy. Today, I decided that no amount of writing will do Matthieu justice, not even a fraction. One can never imagine how hard a life these street dogs have. Never.

Watch this 4 minute video clip on Matthieu’s rescue and you would understand his courage and will to live.

Mattieu the Miracle Dog

Matthieu is warded at The Animal Doctors, where he collapsed in exhaustion and relief. After checking him, Dr Chee commented that Matthieu was such a survivor.

Maggot infested testicle.
Dr Chee was concerned maggots had done grave internal damage and he would never be able to pee again.

Apart from being terribly dehydrated, emaciated, having abrasions and open wounds on many parts of his body, Matthieu seems to be paralyzed from the waist down. Xray reveals that he has a crack on his spine. God has watched over Matthieu, he still has some sensation in his toes, he seems to be able to poo on his own, so that function has not been affected. He has a catheter inserted as maggots have gone into his scrotum and the catheter is to help him pee. He is free from tick fever and heartworm. His white blood count is slightly elevated but this is usually caused by stress and infection. He has undergone an emergency surgery to remove his entire scrotum. There was a risk but it was maggot infested and didn’t leave us much choice. 

Matthieu's body was covered with oil

He is exhausted and has spent his days sleeping. He seems to prefer lying on his left so vet nurses need to constantly flip him over to his right as he is now developing bed sores. Extra towels and padding have been put under him to relieve his pain. Dr Chee is monitoring Matthieu and when his condition stabilizes, we will arrange for him to see a bone specialist to find out if his paralysis is just temporary.

Wounds and abrasions from dragging himself on the rough gravel

Go visit Matthieu. He craves for your love and pats. Give him a hug, a kiss and tell him he is now safe, everything will be alright. He is expected to stay at the vet for some weeks.

Contributors : Lisa Goh, Esther Low and Leslie Kok

Note : HOPE has arranged to have dog kibbles and canned food delivered to Mr Aziz on a monthly basis so he can feed the dogs and not worry about food or money. We are also planning to sterilize as many dogs as we can in that vicinity.

We thank The Animal Doctors for their passion and care for all our rescue dogs.

Fudge Returns Home

Little Fudge is a brave one. While at the clinic, the sweet pup allowed the staff to pat and work on him, and did not growl or snap as they cleaned his wound, sitting quietly through the pain he was surely feeling. By the end of his stay, he was adored by the clinic staff, especially vet nurse Nikki, who loved him so much that she gave him a soft toy and a collar.



Nikki bidding Fudge farewell



However, Fudge does not get along with other cats and dogs. When volunteers visited him and took him out for walks, he would sometimes growl at them and passers-by. We knew then that rehoming him would be tough as he would need a firm and experienced dog owner. It was a pity as little Fudge - as observed at the clinic - can be really sweet and affectionate just like any other pet.

Being a stray, Fudge loves his freedom of space. He does not like to be caged and would sometimes growl and get upset when he is inside.

Having been recuperating at the vet’s clinic for some time, it was soon time for us to discharge Fudge. Vet nurse Nikki was the most upset as she had been the closest to him. She kept hugging him before he left the clinic. We couldn’t bear to, but we had to release him back to the factory. Fudge seemed to know it too as we sensed some fear and apprehension from him. The pain he went through must have been traumatising for the poor boy. It was heartbreaking. We want to provide so much for this sweet and brave little one, yet there is only so much we can do. If we had unlimited resources, we would certainly rehome every rescued street dog we came across. Unfortunately, bound by laws, we do not have much of a choice. With a cap of 10 street dogs that can be housed in HDB flats each month and an estimated 8,000 strays on the streets, how would there ever be enough homes for them? With their temperament and love for freedom, it was going to take a lot for someone to take a street dog in. This sense of hopelessness is demoralising. We hate it, but that’s how it is with rescue work. Hence, we accepted that Fudge was going to have to be released in the evening. He seemed scared to be going back to the factory but sadly it was just something that he would have to cope with.

Fudge walking back into his factory

On the same evening, we bumped into an old uncle. Interestingly (or as some call it – by fate), after five years of feeding in that area, it was the first time Fiona bumped into this uncle, who said he had been searching for Fudge for the past two weeks. When he heard that we had returned Fudge to the factory, he asked why we had returned him and not rehomed him. He added that Fudge is the sweetest dog he had ever seen and that three dogs had attacked him, and shared his worries and concerns over Fudge being attacked again. Fiona assured him that we would check on Fudge regularly and if anything happened, the worker at the factory has our number and would be able to contact us easily.

Enjoying his chicken wings

Fudge and his little neighbour

The uncle also shared with us that he loved these dogs very much and he was happy to spend half of his monthly salary on the dogs for food and sterilisation. We offered to help with the sterilisation but the kind soul said he is able to cope, but promised to call us if he sees an injured dog that needs help. Needless to say, we were very glad that there is someone out there to keep a look out for Fudge. We may not have all the resources we want, but we are grateful for those we meet that loves our dogs as we do.

Lisa checking on Fudge

Watch this video clip below on Fudge's return home:

 

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Updates on Jaspar

Jaspar has just gone to a foster home, and according to volunteer, Leslie, who just paid a visit over the weekend, he is doing well. His wound has healed very well, and the fur is growing back. 

Jaspar's wound has healed nicely

He left the clinic skin and bones but has put on 1kg since arriving at the fosterer’s. As his body doesn’t process protein well, they have been feeding him lots of fish and fish oil to boost his weight. He has also formed a close bond with the fosterer and her helper, and will join the fosterer on the couch when she sits down to watch TV, and he is also slowly getting used to the fosterer’s two dogs and vice versa.

Jaspar is currently looking for an adopter, so give this sociable, playful dog a chance!



Handsome and happy!

Here, on behalf of both Fudge and Jaspar, HOPE Dog Rescue would like to extend a big thanks to all the kind donors out there who had helped with both of their bills.

Contributors : Rena Huang, Leslie Kok ,Yan Qin and Esther Low

Born From The Wreckage

Imagine losing your parents when you are just a few months old, with no one to love and care for you. No one to snuggle up to and keep you warm. Imagine not knowing where to find food, living in fear every day, constantly afraid of being attacked.

For Benjamin, this was his reality. Each day of survival was a struggle.

He had lived this life for the past two years, with not a day going by that he did not fear for his life. He was always afraid and spent most of his days hiding under planks and beams, where he thought no other dogs could see or attack him. His days were long and lonely.

He hardly came out of hiding. He would rather starve then to come out in search of food and risk being attacked by the alpha dogs. Pain and hunger was so much a part of his life that it felt almost normal.

Trying to muzzle Benjamin in the car

Looking at Benjamin, you wouldn't think that he would harbour such a great fear of being attacked, as he is not a small dog. At the time of rescue, he was skin and bones, but weighed in at a hefty 20kg. Imagine if he had been properly fed, how big, strong and handsome he would be.

A stray feeder had spotted him in a construction site when she went to feed some dogs there. He must have been lured out by the smell of food and when she saw the gaping wound on his head, she felt faint. She spent a few hours trying to trap him and finally with the help of some workers, managed to get him into her car. She covered his wound with a towel and contacted us for help and advice.

Benjamin was mauled by another dog

We met her and Benjamin at the vet and drama unfolded as it was near impossible to put a leash, collar or muzzle on Benjamin and get him out of the car. He lay quietly on the car seat, exhausted from his years of living on the streets but like most street dogs, they were not used to being leashed and to some, having a noose around their neck evoked tremendous fear. No amount of coaxing worked and Benjamin tried snapping each time we even got near his face with either a leash or muzzle. He was not aggressive, not the type that would lunge or attack, but just warning snaps. It took almost an hour till we finally decided that we would call the vets and have him sedated in the car and then carried into the clinic. 

The vet nurses and Dr Chan of The Animal Doctors were very professional in the way they handled Benjamin. They managed to cover his head with a towel and quickly jabbed him with the sedative. While a nurse was waiting for the sedative to kick in, the other nurses were in the clinic preparing the operating table for Benjamin’s arrival.

He knocked out within 3 minutes and two vet nurses hurriedly bundled him with a towel and carried him in. They lay him on the table and quickly muzzled him while he was still under sedation. They also gave him oxygen and as he lay there, two doctors and three nurses worked on him. It was extremely well-managed and professional as they calmly cleaned his wound, while another held him down, and yet another monitored his heart rate. As I stood there watching, Benjamin tried to struggle to get up and was held down by the nurses. His cry pierced through the room. It wasn’t a whine, but a sad, sad cry and at the instance, I felt his pain and loneliness.

A bag of bones and his body was scar ridden. More than once the nurses commented on how many scars he had. Life has not been easy.

I often feel street dogs live a really hard life. They spend their entire lives in search of food, shelter and love. Some die on the streets, never ever finding that fulfillment, not even a pat on their heads...

When do we notice them and give them a second glance? When we see them limping or injured? Why is it that we only notice them when they are hurt? Why do they have to “sacrifice” themselves to be noticed? Why can’t we give them food, shelter and love when they are well and unscathed?

Monitoring his heart rate

What happens to dogs like Benjamin? They get rescued and taken to the vet, where they spend a week or two in the clinic. Some like being there, others don’t. For those that enjoy being there, it would be for the security of being in a cage, where no other dogs can attack them, where they get regular meals amidst some prodding. For others like Benjamin, being in such places are all too scary and foreign to him. He is not used to so many humans showing him love, because he doesn’t know what that is. He is afraid of being touched and patted too much, afraid of sudden movements, and most of all, he has no idea where he is and what his future holds. All he does like is the food that our volunteers cook for him daily; he gets three huge meals a day and he loves every bit of it. He has a huge appetite!

Dr Chan reckoned that his wound could have been caused by a dog attack and she commented that it was even bigger than Beano’s injury. It may have been about a week and there were some maggots in their early stages of flesh feasting. Fortunately, Benjamin tested negative for tick fever and heartworm, although his blood count was very low, possibly from all the blood loss. It was late at night by then and Ben’s surgery was scheduled to be carried out the following day.

Scheduled for surgery the next day

The surgery took three long hours where Benjamin’s blood count fell dangerously low and we were called to have on standby some blood donor dogs. Owner, Desiree, and her dog, Blessing, answered our plea and Blessing was at the vet on standby should Benjamin require a blood transfusion. Blessing’s sibling, Favour, had previously donated blood to Prince and saved his life as well! Fortunately after some hours, Benjamin’s blood count started to rise and he no longer required a transfusion. One tough dog he is.

Blessing, a blood donor dog, on the right

 


Benjamin’s wound was cleaned, maggots removed and Drs had to pull the skin from both sides of his neck to stitch the wound closed. Certain parts of the wound was tight and there was a risk that the stitches would open from the tension. The stitches and scar was long. I shuddered at the sight of it. It ran from the top of his head all the way down to the top of his back. Dr Chan had kindly taken a picture of his post-op wound for us after his surgery.

Post-op photograph courtesy of Dr Cathy Chan

For the next few days, Benjamin lay quietly in his cage, catching up on his rest. He was on strong pain killers.

He has been at the vet for 5 days and is still getting used to humans and being prodded. He will be discharged when his wound dries completely, most likely in about 5 days or so. He is healing well and getting stronger again.

Benjamin, rescued from the wreckage, given a week or two of reprieve and then released back to the wreckage, to spend the rest of his life hiding under planks and living in fear till his next attack to be noticed again?

Why must life be so hard for street dogs? Why can’t HDB ease their rulings and help give these dogs a second chance? Whatever happened to empathy, compassion and human kindness?

Buy a HOPE 2013 calendar. It's just $10/- each but it gives HOPE to our rescue dogs and helps with our vet bills.