The Streets To Nowhere (Part 2)

Despite her stomach being torn apart and her hip fractured, brave Mommy Zoey still managed to hang tough and give birth to her babies. However, possibly due to the impact or her other conditions, two puppies were born dead last night. The other three were born this afternoon, with 2 of them stillborn. The last and only survivor we named Lily – to celebrate her purity and innocence despite being born in such desperate conditions.

Amazing Zoey and her precious baby , Lily

Today, a kind man, together with his dog, Blur, responded to our appeal for blood donors and came forward for the blood typing. A blood transfusion was not done today, and the blood typing was only to ensure that we had suitable blood ready for Zoey in case of any emergencies as her red blood count and blood pressure is still constantly dropping.  As with that of Thumbie’s case, the previous dog that came to donate blood to Zoey, Blur was the only dog that came for the blood typing, and it actually matched that of Zoey’s! Perhaps these are signs that Zoey’s time is not up yet and she is headed towards brighter days ahead. 

Sweetheart, Blur, the second dog to donate blood to Zoey

Zoey definitely felt much better after pushing out her puppies and managed to finally eat a proper meal tonight. A superb mother, Zoey licked her surviving puppy clean after she was born and was also extremely concerned each time the puppy cried. However, due to Zoey’s stomach wound, she would be unable to nurse her puppy Lily and hence we urgently need a foster that can help to nurse Lily. Lily would need to be bottle fed milk every two hourly for the first few weeks before subsequently having to be fed every 4 hourly.

The sole survivor, Lily

After the ordeal, the vets were of the view that Zoey was too weak and exhausted to go under GA and go through another surgery today. Hence, her operation would be postponed to tomorrow. The surgery would be to clean her huge stomach wound and remove as much of her dead skin cells as possible. The blood transfusion would be done tomorrow as well, after Zoey’s surgery.

A face that has weathered many storms 

Tough Zoey, despite her excruciating pain, ensured her puppies were delivered 

We would like to thank everyone for stepping forward to help out with Zoey in every way possible. We would like to specially thank the blood donors Thumbie and Blur and their owners for stepping forward to donate blood to Zoey and saving her life. We would also thank all donors that have contributed to Zoey’s vet bills so far.

To foster puppy Lily, or to help with Zoey’s vet bills, please email to hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg

The Streets To Nowhere

I am a stray. I was born a stray.

The streets are all I have ever known.

Received from informant

I have no happiness; no purpose in life. In fact, emptiness and aimlessness is all I know. Coincidentally, the volunteers named me Zoey. Zoey means life . . . . . something I never experienced, till today, when I was patted for the very first time in my life by a volunteer and she said, “You’re a brave girl. Don’t worry too much now. You will be fine, you’re safe now.”

Received from informant

No one cares for me, no one feeds me, no one cares if I live or die.  Every day I roam the streets searching for food. If I am lucky, I get a few mouthfuls of rice thrown in the garbage bin. Most days, I don’t eat for 3 or 4 days.  Once a week, an uncle comes to feed us. You don’t know how happy we are to see him. He gives each of us a little food but for timid dogs like me, I usually wait for the alpha dogs to eat first and by the time they are done, all I get is to lick the roads and get a taste of what they ate. That has been my life for many years. I don’t know how old I am but I feel I have lived a long time . . .  too long . . . my body and spirit are tired.

I have lost track of how many litters of puppies I have had. I used to put up a fight when I came on heat so as to defend myself from the male dogs humping me but now, I am resigned to my fate. I hide under containers or in bushes when it is time to deliver my babies. Sadly, most of them don’t live long. They are often killed in traffic accidents or they move to another street in the hopes of finding food and a better life.

I was hit by a car as I was dashing across the road to look for food. The pain was unimaginable and I thought I had died. The other dogs must have heard my scream from lanes away. I was in so much pain, I didn’t dare to stop. I continued running till I was far away from everyone, till I was safe. Then I realized that the impact of being hit by the car had ripped my stomach open and fractured my hip. I was pregnant. My stomach tore.  I was worried about my babies surviving the impact. I was in such excruciating pain that I hid for what felt like days, bleeding and scared, too painful to even move or go out to look for food. I drifted in and out of sleep. Each time I woke up, I prayed that the pain would be gone, that I was in another world, free from pain and suffering . . . but then the pain and reality would hit me again. If only dogs knew how to commit suicide.

Received from informant

I hid till the day when I knew that the uncle would come around with food and I slowly and painfully limped my way back to where I used to hang around. I hid under a lorry while waiting for him to feed us. Then I heard a young man saying that he was glad I had come back and where had I been for the past few days. He saw me hiding and knew I was hurt.  I heard him making some calls and finally he was given a telephone number that all strays must keep with them. He told the lady on the line that I had a cut on my stomach but he could not see how big the cut was. She told him she would send a guy with a carrier down to get me in an hour’s time and she would wait for me at the emergency vet as it was almost midnight. While waiting, the young man offered me water. I had a few sips and then threw up. My stomach was torn and rotting, I could not even ingest water.

When the guy came to take me, I was too weak to put up a struggle and allowed him to push me into his carrier.

Zoey at emergency

At the vet, three volunteers were waiting for me. They carried me straight into the emergency ward where the vet put a muzzle on me, even though I would never bite them, and the vet gave me pain killers. They commented that was I was very weak and may not make it through the night. They had never seen anything like this, a dog still surviving despite the stomach being torn open. My stomach and the surrounding skin was already turning black and the cells were dying. It had been almost a week.

Stomach ripped open on impact

The volunteers said I was heavily pregnant and asked the vet to take an x-ray of my stomach to confirm I was carrying puppies. While they were waiting for the x-ray results, the nice volunteers stroked my head and assured me I was alright. All of them said they could smell my stomach rotting and one volunteer was almost in tears each time she turned to look at me. Another nice volunteer kissed my forehead, my very first kiss, despite the fact that I was a stray and I was dirty . . . .she kissed my forehead and said I smelled like oil and I must have come from a car workshop. She was right!

Soon, the vet came with the results; I had tick fever, very low red blood count, a fractured hip, I needed a blood transfusion and I was carrying 5 puppies. In order to determine if the puppies were alive or dead, I needed an ultrasound scan, which they said they would do the next morning. The vet then cleaned up my wound, washed me a little, wrapped me up like a dumpling and put me in the cage. The pain killers were starting to kick in and for the first time in a week, I didn’t feel such excruciating pain. The volunteers took turns to say good night to me and left.

The next morning, I was transferred to another clinic where I was to be seen by another vet. The volunteers also spent hours appealing and coordinating my blood transfusion and finally after waiting for the whole day, I finally got a bag of blood in the evening. I hear that the blood donor is a strapping young dog, also a rescued stray. His name is Thumbie. He’s my hero, he saved my life.

Thumbie, blood donor dog and saviour

The vet will let me rest and stabilize me for a day, before she operates on me. They can’t operate on me right away as I am too weak and will not pull through. Their plan is to abort my puppies, alive or dead, and try their best to save me. The vet said the tear on my stomach is very very huge and there is not enough skin to pull from around my stomach and close the wound. As such, they may need to leave the wound open for a while and manage it carefully. They also mentioned skin grafting.

X-Ray shows 5 puppies in Zoey's tummy

The vet told the volunteers that I would be operated on Tuesday and they will monitor to ensure my body accepts the new blood.

And so, I hope my new journey begins. I may not have a family like other dogs, but I have known love. 

To help with Zoey’s vet bills, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg. She needs our love and support. Thank you.

Wang Wang's Update (2nd)

Remember Wang Wang, Bradley’s friend?

Wang Wang’s condition seems to have stabilised, now that he has a safe place at the vet clinic to recuperate.

Wang Wang's left eye has a cataract, possibly caused by an old injury left untreated

His appetite has improved. He enjoys the home-cooked food prepared by our volunteers and he very much cherishes the love and attention showered on him by us when we visit.

Wang Wang is not out of the woods but this sweet boy is determined to fight on. That stoic face of his tells us that he would not give up. Hence, we would try our best for him even with our limited financial resources. We are grateful to the vet clinic for agreeing to board Wang Wang at their premises as we have yet to find a foster for this sweet boy.

His tumour doesn't seem as raw now

Wang Wang received his first jab on 20 December and is scheduled to receive his second jab today, leaving him with two more chemo jabs a week apart. The tumour on his penile region seem less raw and fierce, and perhaps has receded a little since his first jab.

We hope that once he has completed the cycle of four chemo jabs, he would recover from this condition and we can then focus on the mass in his liver and spleen, which the ultrasound scan had picked up previously.

We would not be able to save street dogs like Wang Wang without your help and generosity.

We are not sure how much time Wang Wang has but we do know we will do our best to make him happy and comfortable. Living his final days in the cage at a vet isn’t exactly the best option, and the staff tell us that he howls at night because he is sad and lonely. Imagine from having freedom on the streets and fellow doggie friends, to being caged 24/7, Wang Wang would definitely not understand our good intentions.

If you can foster him, please contact us. Wang Wang is very friendly and affectionate. Your home should have no dogs as his condition is contagious to other dogs. All he needs is nutritious home cooked food, his medications, some love and a roof over his head to spend his final days. He can be left alone while you are at work.

If you can foster or help with Wang Wang’s vet bill, please e-mail hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg

Thank you

A Christmas Story

As you drape tinsel around your Christmas tree, as you deck the halls with boughs of holly, do you feel that your cozy home could use a little more cheer, and be a little more jolly? Could the missing elements be... a wagging tail, a wet nose, and warm loving kisses from a happy dog?

Blake

Bobby

Cassie

Daisy

Dawn

Harper

Elmo

Happy

Jerry

Kate

Matthieu

Mishka (Asher)

Oscar

SiDa

Sunny

Walter

Cody

What do these doggies all have in common? They're looking for a home!

This Christmas season, consider giving one (or more) of these rescue dogs a chance. A chance to have a place they can call home, a chance to belong to a loving family, and a chance at joy.

Our 17 dogs have all faced various difficulties and suffering before they were rescued. Life had not been easy for them. It's still not easy for them. Being rescued and nursed back to health is only half the battle won. The other half of the battle is finding a forever home. Some of them have waited for almost two years. Some have never had a foster family. Some have never ever stepped into a home; Some of them have never even received a single enquiry at all! It's baffling.

But there's just something about dogs. These miraculous creatures never give up!

Even in the darkest of times, there's always a little part of them that remains desperately hopeful, searching for a helping hand, waiting for a warm embrace. Will you take their glimmer of hope, and turn it into radiant beams with love's pure light? Will you make their days merry, and bright?

Take a chance. Ask us about these dogs. Come and meet them. If you meet them, look into their eyes. See what they've been through, and see their strength and determination. They have love to give. They're just waiting for the right family to come along and see them for the angels they are.

Our Christmas wish is for these dogs to have a home of their own. We wish for all dogs everywhere to have a magical Christmas, full of love, tummy rubs, and delicious treats. And finally, for ourselves, we wish to be able to continue bringing happiness to the dogs on the streets, the dogs without homes. We wish for enough funds to buy food to feed the strays, and to be able to pay our vet bills and save more dogs in need. If you can help to make any of our wishes come true, we'd be forever grateful to you!

Through the years

We all will be together,

If the fates allow

Hang a shining star upon the highest bough.

And have yourself a merry little Christmas now!


Written by Elena Lin

I Know I’m Dying (Wang Wang)

Strays often have a tough life. They live life day by day and all they look forward to, is their next meal, which may come the next day . . . .or many days later. Food and survival is very important to them and they have a very strong instinct to survive.

Wang Wang, a stray dog that lives in a car workshop area, had this growth on his penile region apparently since May. Sadly, the workers were not well versed in the dog’s welfare and didn’t bother. It was only a few weeks ago that we found out about  Bradley’s plight  and heard from workers that both Bradley and Wang Wang’s penile region were sore, bleeding and severely infected because the dogs fought amongst themselves for the same female dog and had their private regions bitten off. Well, the workers were right about the fact that they had fought for the same female dog, who may have since died as she no longer appears for food.

Wang Wang at the factory

What Bradley and WW (Wang Wang) have are significantly different. Although on appearance, we had thought that Bradley’s TVT was a lot worse,  but after seeing the vet, Bradley’s tumour is limited to the penis area and once amputated, and after 4 rounds of chemo jab, he would most likely be given the all clear. So Bradley’s issue remains largely a sexually transmitted disease.

Mr Mohan checking Wang Wang

Poor WW, his is too complicated to be saved. . .  . .His is worse than Bradley’s or Bobby’s.

With the help of a feeder, she had managed to trap him and put a leash over his head. Workers had termed him fierce and aggressive and didn’t want to play a part in helping to trap him. We had initially taken him to a vet on Friday afternoon but after waiting an hour, they told us they could not ward him as they had no space. So we spent the next few hours desperately trying to find another vet that would admit him. By then, it was nightfall. Poor WW had been in a tiny carrier for hours but yet he waited patiently, thinking that we would be able to save him.

At the vet, I met a longtime friend and an inspiration to many of us in the dog rescue world, Mr Mohan (from Animal Lovers League), who helped us with WW. The vet looked at WW and shook her head . . . all she could say was . . . .why didn’t you bring him in earlier . . . . This made me feel terrible. I wish I did too, because now, it’s too late to save him. WW is dying. The Vet ordered an ultrasound and some blood samples taken. They muzzled him, as was the norm with all new rescues, but they really didn’t need to. WW was too weak and too sweet to even do anything, all he really wanted was a pat on his head, some love and someone to tell him everything’s gonna be alright. As he stood up, blood dripped from his penis. As the vet tech held on to his front leg to draw blood, WW’s body started leaning sideways. He was too weak to stand on three legs. The vet tech had to hold him up by his scruff to keep him upright.

A huge tumour on his penis

WW was tested Negative for Parvo virus and distemper. He was also negative for heartworm and tick fever. Vet estimated him to be about 7 years old. She then recommended we do an ultrasound to find out more. Sadly, the ultrasound results showed a mass that might indicate suspected cancer tissues or cells, which had spread to his spleen, pelvis and liver. Then the vet recommended we put him down because she didn’t think he would have very long to live and felt there wasn’t very much we could do for him. That wasn’t what we wanted to hear, so we asked that they let him stay a night and while we created Plan B.

The following day, we transferred WW to another vet, his 3rd vet in two days. We told the vet that we wanted to help him as best as we could without him being in too much pain and discomfort. Here, we did a chest X-ray to see if the suspected cancer cells had spread to his lungs. Fortunately it hadn’t.

This 3rd vet then agreed to ward WW for just the night, and to administer his very first Vincristine jab. Vincristine is used to treat cancer and dogs with TVT. Poor WW, luck didn’t seem to be on his side, again he had to be transferred to another vet who was willing to house him for at least a month, while he received all 4 chemo jabs, once a week. If what he has is TVT, the growth will regress by the 2nd jab. If there is no regression, then it is not TVT. So we just have to wait with bated breath in the next two weeks.

According to the vet, they can’t be very sure what WW has but he had a mass in his spleen, 10cm big! Did it originate from TVT, a sexually transmitted disease, that developed into cancer cells because it was left untreated and eventually spread to other parts of his body, or did he have skin cancer or sarcoma. We will never know for sure until a biopsy is done but at this point of time, we don’t think we should subject poor WW to anymore pain or GA as he may not pull through.

And so this morning, for the fourth time, poor WW had to be transferred to the fourth vet and here is where we hope he will remain till we find a foster for him to live out his days with love, care, food and some happiness.

Having been a volunteer for the past 9 years or so, often I feel I have seen it all. I don’t profess that I know a lot about dogs or their illnesses but with strays, it’s usually quite the same; accidents, broken bones, sterilization, TVT, dog fights, maggots wounds etc. It’s never easy to make a hard decision and besides, who are we to make such calls. When a dog comes to us, it is simply because they know they will be saved. How then can we tell them sorry, it’s not your day today, we don’t have enough money to help you because we need it for Bradley. We have been blessed many times with fellow animal lovers’ kindness and generosity, allowing us to save and help many dogs we never thought possible.

Look at how swollen his stomach / spleen is 

When I opened WW’s cage to take him out, I expected him to growl and bare his teeth like how the workers had warned us. Instead, he came to me, head bowed down, for a little pat on his head and some assurance. In his heart, he knows he is dying. He is just hoping against all hope, just like us, that a miracle will happen.

To foster or help with Wang Wang's vet bills, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg