1st Ever Dog Wheelchair Walk in Singapore

Spearheaded by our mascot, Harper; HOPE Dog Rescue held Singapore's very first dog walk for doggies on wheelchairs, on 17 December and what an amazing walk it was!

The doggies were really excited to meet fellow doggies on wheelchairs as it is not common that they get to meet their kind ❤️. They were, perhaps, exchanging facts about their wheelchairs!

The walk was attended by 5 doggies in wheelchairs and 17 normal doggies who had signed up to walk with these special doggies to show their support. We were touched!

The wheelchair doggies were:

1) Harper, born with a broken spine

2) Lucky, intervertebral disc disease (IVDD)

3) Jackie, traffic accident and owner didn't want her after her after the accident and a kind lady adopted Jackie.

4) Stephen - thrown out of a moving car in Shanghai and a family fostered him, adopted and brought to SG.

5) Suzu - senior dog

6) Chocolate - senior dog who inherited Jasper's wheelchair

7) Whisky - luxating patella and spinal issues

Harper thanks everyone for coming down to support her in this inaugural walk and making it a huge success.

If you have any queries regarding wheelchairs for doggies, feel free to drop us a private message or email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg. Not quite the experts but happy to share what knowledge we know. 

Kidney Disease in Dogs

Today, we shall talk about kidney failure or disease. There are currently 4 stages to kidney disease but due to its nature, it is often very hard to catch the initial symptoms. Many times, the dog could be just drinking more (a sign of abnormal thirst) or peeing urine that seems more diluted than usual when the kidneys start to fail. The more telling symptoms such as loss of appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, lethargy only become more apparent when in Stage 3 of the disease, which could be too late. 

Kidney disease is most common in senior dogs

The causes of kidney failure vary as well, from prior serious injury, ingestion of toxic stuff, hereditary etc. As dogs cannot survive without their kidneys, hence if left untreated, dogs with kidney failure will usually die within a short span of time. 

Considering the above, one may then wonder how best a concerned dog owner can try to detect possible kidney issues as early as possible? One way to do this is via regular blood tests. We have previously talked about the merits of having blood tests and ultrasounds done regularly especially if you have a senior dog. Through the blood tests, the vet will be able to advise you if the kidney indicators (BUN, creatinine, phosphorus etc) are within normal levels. It will be good to also specifically request for SDMA reading to be taken as well as the SDMA rises earlier than creatinine and can often give early warning of potential kidney issues.  

Chloe getting subcutaneous fluids at the vet

Even though kidney failure is not curable and often progressive in nature, dogs diagnosed early can still continue to live a quality life through proper management of diet (low sodium, low phosphorus and protein), subcutaneous fluids and regular check-ups and blood tests. So go ahead and book that appointment for the blood test for your furkid.  

Sources:

https://toegrips.com/kidney-disease-in-dogs-stages/

https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/urinary/c_multi_renal_failure_chronic

The colour of pee

 “Your urine is so yellowish—drink more water!”

Sounds familiar? 😂

This is something we hear so often from our parents. Very often, the colour of our urine has been associated with the amount of water we drink—the more water we drink, the clearer it is. Have you wondered if that works the same for dogs?

Well, not exactly. Contrary to what we know, the “best” urine colour for dogs should be pale yellow! 

Clear urine may not necessarily be the best for dogs. It could be a case of over hydration or that the dog's kidneys are unable to concentrate his/her urine. On the other extreme is urine that is too dark. The reasons could vary from simply not drinking enough water to more serious issues like urinary tract inflammation, kidney problems or even internal bleeding. 

Don't underestimate what we can tell from the colour of our dogs' urine, and always consult a vet when in doubt!

Dogs' urine colour chart (Source: https://www.petcarrierverdict.com/normal-urine-color-for-dogs/)

Banjo the skeletal dog

16 years old.

Skeleton dog

While most dogs enjoy their golden years with their owners, taking slow strolls together, eating their favourite foods and cherishing every moment, this little poodle was tied with a leash to prevent him from wandering about the house because he pooed and peed everywhere. Everyone worked and no one had time for him.

Double diapers :-(

Not a long leash, but a short normal leash we reckoned, for him to sustain such injuries.

And it wasn’t for a short while, but long periods. So long that he got entangled so badly, tried to free himself and had severe rope burns.

Bad teeth 

Rope / leash burns from being tied up for long periods 

How sad for a dog to have this happen and he's 16 

Testicle sore from urine scalding 

Blind in one eye

But wait, that’s not all – there is more to the neglect; they put him on double diapers and very likely left it on for hours. We say this because he had very bad urine scalding. The poor dog’s undersides and testicles look as if someone poured hot water on his skin.

Urine scalding 

Imagine the ongoing pain and suffering. And he is 16.

The scenario made us imagine our aged parent, left in a home, diapers not changed, tied to the bed, neglected. Our hearts broke into a million pieces.

His teeth are bad, yet he had kibbles left there free flow for him. They said he was picky with food – maybe he was so entangled by the leash that he couldn’t reach his food? His frame has ribs protruding like a refugee. Maybe his teeth were so bad that he couldn’t chew on solids?

 He has been eating and drinking very well at the vet clinic, eating like there is no tomorrow.

He is blind in one eye, has vision in the other and is able to walk around without bumping into things.

You know, dogs teach us such important lessons of forgiveness and resilience. This little doggy is so sweet and gentle. He allowed the nurses to clean his terribly painful sores without sedation – or is it the fact that he has given up and resigned to his sad fate?

We have named him BANJO. Dogs named BANJO tend to be good natured, loving and resilient. And this holds true for this sweetheart.

Here’s how you can help him – he needs a foster, who can clean his wounds 4x a day and feed him 4 meals a day. And he needs help with his vet bills. Banjo needs to go back to the vet clinic every 2-3 days to have his wounds scraped and get laser therapy for his terrible pain. 

Please email us hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg if you wish to help make him feel better.

Similar case back in 2014 HOPE Dog Rescue: Cry Of The Innocent

Senior Dog Issues

We've got a soft spot for senior dogs

As a dog owner, do you know when your dog enters into senior hood? Depending on their breeds, the expected life expectancy differ and as such, their age profile differ. Small dogs can live over 15-16 years while large dogs only around 10 – 13 years old. Like humans, our dogs start to experience more and more issues as they age. Some of these may not be readily apparent to us and could oftentimes be mistaken for behavioural issues. These can include:

1. Deteriorating vision and hearing. Like humans, these senses dull with age. Senior dogs with poor vision and/or hearing will not be able to detect approaching people or hear commands as well. As such, we may see them prone to being startled or turn aggressive on sudden touches / actions by others. One way to overcome this is to approach the dog gradually, making sure he is aware of your presence and intentions before physical contact. Sometimes these senior dogs are mistaken for being stubborn. 

Chloe

2. Loss of cognitive ability. This is somewhat similar to dementia in humans. You may see your dog ‘getting lost’ around the house or familiar places, or getting stuck in a corner, not knowing how to reverse and get himself out of there. This can be compounded by the deterioration in vision and hearing which makes it harder for the dog to recognise our commands to guide them out. While there may not be any proven ways to stave off this condition, regular mental stimulation exercises may help to some extent. You can refer to this post on some of the games that you can carry out with your dog here. 

3. Reduced ability to regulate body temperature, as a result feeling cold more easily. Do pay more attention to see if your dog needs an extra tee or blanket or towel, especially on cooler days or post a full grooming. Also common in senior dogs is anemia, and this would make them cold & shiver too. 

Zeus

4. Arthritis and joint pain. Again just like humans, the joints get stiffer with age. Keep a look out to see if there are changes in your dog’s gait. Regular moderate exercise, with supplements and massages may help to relieve these pains. Senior dogs should avoid running and jumping.

5. Obesity which comes about with reduced metabolism and activity levels. While we want to cut down the level of activities for our senior dogs, we need to still ensure they get the requisite amount of exercise to keep them healthy and mobile. At the same time, their diets will also need to changed to cater to their new activity level.  

As it can be seen from the 5 pointers, senior dogs are not unlike our human senior citizens. Whether they can lead a happy and comfortable life as they age will very much depend on what we do as dog owners. So be aware of their needs and together, let us all enjoy their golden years together.

Feeding the Fish Farm Dogs

Do you remember the "Fish Farm" doggies? 

HOPE has been providing these fishy doggies with canned food and kibbles since 2014!

Read their story :

http://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/2014/01/dogs-grew-up-on-fish-food.html

http://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/2021/01/fish-farm-dogs.html

We chanced upon them one day long, long ago and found out the poor doggies grew up on fish food! That’s how we started supplying them with dog food.

So happy with life on the farm

Worker, Uncle Segar, who loves the very much 

What a handsome doggy <3 

There used to be a lot more dogs but because we sterilized all of them, we managed to keep the population under control. Today, there are only 10 left; many have died from old age, illness or bitten by snakes – that’s the sad reality of a stray.

Handsome black boy <3 

Loving their freedom

They get cooked food when we go visit and Uncle Segar occasionally cooks for them too

This week we are visiting them to make them happy!

We will be bringing 15 cartons of Nature’s Gift canned food and 6 big bags of ANF kibbles (15kg each bag) and our volunteers will be cooking up a storm for them, to give them a feast. 

We are sure you wouldn’t want these sweet doggies to be eating fish food, so why not help buy some canned food for them? This amount of food would last them 2 to 3 months, before we visit again. 

This handsome one has lost vision in one eye

To buy food for the fish farm doggies, you may drop us a private message or contact our regular pet food supplier, Peggy (Pet HQ) at 96616103. Peggy has been very supportive of our work for than a decade, often providing us with food even when we couldn’t afford to pay her in the early days.

All you need to do is : text Peggy, tell her how much you wish to contribute and do a bank transfer to her. Peggy will help us accumulate everything and deliver all the food to us by Friday, in time for us to bring to the fish farm.

Thank you <3 

Holly, a gentle soul (1st update)

Holly, a sweet, tired soul.

Eyes that no longer sparkle 

Holly has been at the vet since her rescue. Poor Holly must be terrified to be in a strange environment with strange humans handling her that she has been trying to bite; we don’t blame her. The staff had to sedate her in order to draw blood and do a skin scrape; we wanted to ensure she has no contagious diseases before she goes off to a foster home, which she hasn’t found.

In summary :

• Female / 16Kg (underweight / ideal 18 to 20kg)
• Anemic
• Heartworm (Larvae and Babesia)
• Tick fever (Ehrlichia / Anaplasma)
• Severe Demodex infestation

Basically poor Holly has the whole package ☹

Exhausted from years of running & living on the streets 

Avoiding eye contact, not too used to humans and attention

Many of you have been asking about her puppies. The vet has confirmed she is not lactating / nursing, and has no puppies. Her dangling tits are from having given birth countless times. 

Such is the sad life of a stray. We will sterilize her when she is stronger.

Their sufferings are so hard, it is only something we can imagine

When our volunteers visited her at the vet, she was curled up in a corner of the cage, exhausted from years of running and living on the streets. Her eyes stared blankly ahead, eyes that no longer sparkle.

Holly allowed our volunteer to stroke her head, and we sensed that she liked it and it was the first time that someone had ever touched her or shown her love. Poor Holly, her entire body is bleeding from severe skin problems, and to think she has been living in this state for years.

Her very first human touch <3 

We hope to be able to find her a foster home within a week, while she is still recuperating at the vet; a family that has time for her, to cure her skin and heal her broken soul. The foster family might initially need to separate the dogs (if they have a resident dog) while Holly learns to trust, and also to help apply meds on her skin etc. 

Holly has just started on her heartworm treatment. There is a risk that she may not survive the treatment. We have no choice, but to proceed with it, before it gets even worse.

Please help Holly. Foster, share her post, or help with vet bills.

Email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg