8.12.14

TVT = Death?


We keep reminding ourselves that we have to take good care of our current dogs, 20 of them in our charge, before we can even think of helping more dogs. We can hardly stay afloat and often, we bite off more than we can chew and end up in such dire circumstance. But here we are, appealing for your help once again. An individual feeder has approached us for help. She has been trying to get assistance but to no avail as 4 dogs that she has been feeding are sick, VERY VERY SICK. As of current status, two are missing and may have died but two are still alive and need urgent help.

It has been a good 1 month since we had any new rescues. You may recall our last post requesting for financial aid as we are in the red due to the overwhelming number of rescues at the vet previously. Thank you so much for all the help as we are at least somewhat operational although we still owe a vet more than 10k. However, your help means we are still able to send our existing charges for their reviews, hydrotherapy, acupuncture as well as vet visits when they fall ill. Thank you very much as well to regular donors who ensure our existing charges are taken care of. A rescue is not merely a vet visit. It is a long term commitment which is similar to adopting or buying a dog. For so many of our dogs, the after care and ensuring their constant good health is an ongoing drain on our funds.

When this individual feeder first requested for our help, we turned her down. But when we saw the pictures, our hearts sank. How do we say no? Bobby, whom many of you are familiar with and in such a sorry state had TVT with a severely swollen penis. He couldn’t pee without wincing and whining, so his penis had to be amputated and he went through 4 courses of chemotherapy to kill off any lingering cancer cells. He is so much better now and is a testament to how we must never give up and the strong willpower our doggies have.
 
These 2 doggies are in a much much much worse state. Their genitals are literally rotting and falling off and although we cannot confirm the exact cause without a vet consultation, this is most likely an extremely severe case of TVT. It might even have spread to the other organs and is very very very serious. These doggies need to go to the vet immediately and must be in such extreme pain. They cannot lie properly or even perform a simple basic need like peeing or even sleeping when the slightest touch will cause them uncontrollable pain. Can you imagine the agony they are going through every second for the past weeks or even months? On top of all this pain, there is also a high risk of infection.


This is the last surviving one which we are trying to trap and take to the vet
However, we are hesitating as this will mean putting down deposits and committing to weeks of hospitalization stays which we can ill-afford. As they are in such an advanced stage, surgery is a definite must and will most likely followed by weeks of chemotherapy. After the operation, they will need to recuperate and require long term post-hospitalization care as they will be prone to infections. These are all the factors we need to consider. Can we get fosters? Can we afford to board them? Can we re-home them? All these are question marks and it’s so much easier to say no. Some may say it’s more humane to put them down. This is definitely an easier route but as a rescue group, how do we turn a blind eye? How do we tell them to give up when we didn’t even give up on Elmo or Bobby or Sida?  Our hands are tied although our hearts tells us that we have to try.



The two doggies are still eating when fed and have not given up on life. Please do not give up on them and let die of infection or pain. We cannot assist with limited resources but we know that if you’re roped in, we will be able to do it together. It’s going to be Christmas soon. Please celebrate the joy of giving by returning them their life, one which is free of pain.

To help, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg

*Latest updates, there is only one male dog left. The other 3 may have passed on. Volunteers have been trying to trap him since Sunday but are unable to get close to him. More updates will be shared on our Facebook page when we have more information.

**Latest update: We have caught the dog and rushing him to the vet now.