I met Koo and Mei Leng as they brought the rescued puppy from Puchong to Subang Jaya. Then, I led them to the clinic in PJ where there is an emergency call-up service.
Koo and Mei Leng bringing in the puppy.
Here's the puppy. Gosh, she is so tame. Koo said she barely put up any struggle when he caught her. What Koo did was to lure her under a car. It's easier to catch them once they are under a car as they would only be able to crawl. Then, you grab their arm and pull them out. Koo is ever-ready to help catch dogs and puppies. He has cardboard boxes, tape and gloves in his car-boot - the mark of a true-blue committed animal rescuer. I take my hats off to him!
Look at that swollen leg!
Poor little thing. And Mei Leng said she had been bleeding for two days now. It looked pretty bad. Looked infected to us, but we are not vets, so we had better not simply speculate what is wrong.
The vet arrived at exactly 30 minutes. Why, it's the same vet who attended to Joanie two years ago when we brought her in, also on an emergency!
Hi, doctor!! Long time...
The vet was very gentle with the puppy. He too said the swollen paw looked really bad.
The injured leg is about two-and-a-half times bigger than the good leg. It's so terribly swollen.
Take her temperature first. It's 39.2 degrees - slightly feverish. Possibly due to an infection, or maybe just due to stress from being kept in the box and the car ride. The injured leg also felt very hot.
As always, we told the vet to do whatever is necessary for the puppy. So, her blood was taken and the bloodwork will be done tomorrow. Then, an X-Ray tonight itself.
The vet said she is such a good dog and is so easy to handle. Yes, she certainly is.
Here's the X-Ray.
There are several possibilities...
Here's a close-up of the X-Ray.
The possibilities are as follows:
1. An old injury due to an accident where the leg was crushed. There appears to be some shattered bones. The poor thing had been coping with it for quite some time now.
2. A deformity since she was born, where her leg is twisted, so she cannot use her paw, but the other side of it, thus resulting in the lacerated skin (which keeps bleeding).
3. Cancer, but this is not likely as she is still very young.
Whatever the cause may be, the leg is definitely abnormal and there is little chance in making it normal again.
The recommended treatment options would be:
a. Amputation. b. Make her a sling which she would wear for life.
Between the two, amputation is the better option as wearing a sling would be so inconvenient for a dog. Moreover, Jenny (I asked Mei Leng to name her, and Jenny it is) is small-sized. She would be able to cope very well with three legs.
Tomorrow the blood work will be done and we would have a better understanding of Jenny's health condition. For tonight, the vet has given her some painkillers. Jenny will be boarded pending the results of her blood work.
Here's Jenny in her cage. The poor thing is so afraid, she just faces the wall. She cannot use the injured leg at all. Mei Leng says she has a good friend on the streets - a white dog. She'll miss her friend tonight.
Mei Leng also said Jenny does not seem to be in pain as she was still playing with a Coca-Cola can before she was caught. However, if the leg is not amputated and if Jenny is returned to the streets, infection might eventually set in and if this spreads to the bone, death may result.
Koo, Mei Leng, myself and the vet all agreed that amputation would be the best option for Jenny. With the bad leg removed, she would have a better life, free from the worries of possible infection later on.
Our plan now would be to wait for the blood test results tomorrow and proceed with the amputation the day after if that is the best option for Jenny.
Then, upon discharge, we need a fosterer for her.
And it would be best if Jenny could get adopted as well. With three legs, she needs a home. Leaving her back on the streets would not be good at all.
If you can help foster Jenny after her surgery, please contact Mei Leng on 012-9761958.
We will subsidise Jenny's surgery and treatment from our funds and in fact, Mei Leng has even offered to sponsor the whole thing.
What we really need now is a fosterer for Jenny.
I reached home after 11pm. Just fed and played with the Sunny Kittens. They are sleeping with Bobby now, and I need to sleep too.
Get well soon, Jenny girl. You're such a sweet little dog.
Jenny will make a very nice house pet. She is incredibly sweet and mild-mannered. You'll have to see her and you'll know what I mean.
P.S. Mei Leng adopted Perky from us about one-and-a-half years ago. Perky was one of our Klang Pound rescues. Perky is now living a wonderfully-pampered life, being feasted with Pro-Plan Salmon, and gets chicken rice on weekends, plus all sort of treats. She lives with Mei Leng and her two rabbits. Mei Leng adores Perky to bits, says she is so, so loyal and always happy. I've asked Mei Leng to send us a photo of Perky with her rabbits. From the Pound....to Paradise! Lucky Perky!
Let's make Jenny a lucky dog, too, shall we?
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