Updates On 12th Apr 2013

HARMONY FUND HELPS HOPE DOG RESCUE WITH ELDERLY DOG RESCUE IN SINGAPORE (account by Lynn Chue)

Visit us at http://animalrescuechase.com/harmony_fund/index.html

We first got to know about Ah Girl from a Malay lady who reported a white dog loitering at a service station. The lady�s husband was a taxi driver who frequented that area and often saw Ah Girl in the same spot. Ordinarily, he would not have paid much attention to the dog except that he observed that Ah Girl appeared to be injured as she was limping badly, and had lost an eye. Worried, he shared his observations with his wife, who decided that something had to be done to save the dog. She then contacted HOPE Dog Rescue and informed us about the dog. (Hope Dog Rescue http://hopedogrescue.blogspot.com/)

Concerned about the welfare of Ah Girl, I contacted the Malay lady the next day and she met me so we could go to the service station together to assess Ah Girl�s condition. We found Ah Girl sprawled on the cold, hard concrete floor of a cramped storeroom, unable to move. It was a heart-wrenching sight. She had lost her left eye, probably in a previous accident, and her eye had been stitched up. Her stomach was unnaturally swollen and there were multiple wounds on her legs. She was famished and looked sadly at us as we pondered what to do. We tried to get her to move but her legs failed her. When we tried to lift her up, she shrieked in unbearable pain, and our hearts broke at what she might be going through.

When we spoke to the service attendants, they said that Ah Girl was about 13 years old and lived in the area around the service centre. In the day, she would typically move around on her own but would always return to the storeroom in the evenings. The attendants let her sleep there and would feed her whatever biscuits or leftover scraps they could find. Several years ago, she was involved in a car accident which led to the loss of her left eye. She had also been in another accident which broke her right front leg. The attendant remarked that Ah Girl was a good dog and didn�t bother anyone at the centre. Instead, the sweet girl was often bullied by a pack of stray dogs in the area and also abused by humans who would walk past and kick or hit her. As she was too weak to move, she would just bear the brunt of it. The storeroom was her only refuge from the harsh world outside.

At the vet, blood tests and x-rays were carried out. Ah Girl�s breathing was terribly laboured and she was diagnosed with tick fever, anaemia, heart murmur and heart failure. X-rays revealed that her stomach was so distended with fluids caused by her heart failure that the vet needed to do a needle aspiration to drain out the fluids. That explained her difficulty in breathing. Despite the bloated stomach, we could feel her ribs protruding and the vet commented that she was extremely malnourished.

The nerves in her hind legs were poor, possibly from old age, past accidents or both. She was also severely arthritic. Each time she stood up, she would lose her balance and fall flat on her face, it was a sorry sight. She would then bravely pick herself up and try again.

Caring for Ah Girl is not a lot of work. She spends her days sleeping, goes for short walks 3x a day just to do her toileting. At times, she may pee in the middle of the night as she is old and unable to hold her pee for long hours. She loves cooked food and has been eating well. She needs to go to the vet for a review every two weeks, just to check her blood count and ensure no fluids in her stomach and lungs. Once that has stabilized, her visits to the vet will be lessened.

Ah Girl is such an amazing dog. Despite having been through years of neglect and abuse, she still remains friendly, gentle and trusting. We are urgently looking for someone to give Ah Girl a permanent home in her remaining years. She asks for nothing more than decent meals and a roof over her head for her to live out her golden years.

Ah Girl is presently fostered by Sooh Yee and the Harmony Fund has made a substantial donation for her veterinary care. Visit the Harmony Fund for more of our international animal rescues at http://animalrescuechase.com/harmony_fund/index.html

Source: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=556248437731806&set=a.135131043176883.16781.109342202422434&type=1&relevant_count=1

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