Rescued Dogs Deserve Proper Medical Care
Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better 
Aug 21, 2021 
NGOs 
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https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/views/2021/08/21/rescued-dogs-deserve-proper-medical-care
Rescued dogs deserve proper medical care
By WANI MUTHIAH: CITYCISM
VIEWS
Saturday, 21 Aug 2021
THE number of veterinary clinics in the country has grown by leaps and bounds, over the last decade, due to an increase in animal appreciation and pet ownership among Malaysians.
The mushrooming of animal welfare and rescue groups are also factors stoking the growth and profitability of veterinary clinics.
Understandably, this has given rise to an increase in veterinary clinics but alas and alack, not all of them are excellent as some house mediocre or uncaring veterinarians.
As someone who moonlights as an animal rescuer (dog rescuer to be precise), I can attest to the various times when canine lives were lost because of a veterinarian’s lackadaisical conduct.
A good example would be a young male canine that was sent to a clinic for four months, as he was losing weight and appetite.
The diagnosis was always tick fever and a relapse.
But as the dog was not getting better after months of treatment, we transferred him to an animal hospital we regularly visit.
It took barely a day or two for them to tell us that the dog had a mass growing on one of his kidneys, which was spreading to other organs as well.
The consulting veterinarian immediately operated on the dog to remove the kidney as well as scrape out the rest of the mass.
We have been going to this place for years now, not that it does not have its share of warts; but the veterinarians always get to the bottom of the problem instead of relying on assumptions.
I attribute this to the chief veterinarian, who has instilled in his wards the need to be competent at their job and takes it upon himself to look into complicated cases.
As for my pet dogs that I love dearly, this is the only place that I take them to when they are seriously unwell.
Having said this, I hope all senior veterinarians, who open veterinary chains, do not just hire younger counterparts and leave them at these clinics to manage on their own.
Like every other profession, a person who starts out in his or her career needs a “teacher” or a mentor to acquire knowledge, ability and capability.
Topped with experience acquired over time, they will become the model veterinarian every pet owner and animal rescuer hopes for.
Another pet peeve of animal rescuers is the uncaring attitude some veterinarians have when rescued animals are sent to them.
A perfect example would be the recent incident afflicting the animal welfare organisation I am aligned with – Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB).
Five of our fully vaccinated dogs were infected with the distemper virus.
Two of them, Deepa and Misa, were sent to a veterinary clinic that had an isolation ward.
Generally, when such dogs are brought in, an immunoglobulin/antibody injection is administered.
However, the said clinic did not have the jabs in stock, hence the dogs were not given the necessary shots.
Our frantic messages and calls inquiring about the dogs’ condition went unanswered for two days.
Had they informed us, we would have sourced the drug elsewhere and sent it to the clinic.
Both Deepa and Misa unfortunately died but the other three dogs that received the injection on time at another clinic survived.
The deaths of the two dogs have rankled us and their rescuers.
Misa, for instance, was rescued by a kind-hearted woman who spends much of her time feeding and neutering street animals while trying her best to find them homes.
It must be heartbreaking for her and besides making a generous contribution towards our exercise to “distemper proof” the rest of our dogs with the needful jabs, she also paid the late Deepa and Misa’s bills in full.
Veterinarians must understand that rescued dogs are not “strays” or unwanted dogs to rescuers.
They are just as precious to us as our pets.
It irks me that some veterinarians label rescued dogs as “stray” in admission forms despite rescuers giving them names.
That is why we greatly appreciate veterinarians and clinics that ask for a name to be given when filling in admission details.
We hope all rescued animals will be accorded the same treatment at veterinary clinics like how they treat other customers’ beloved pets.
Veterinarians need to bear in mind these canines are precious to their rescuers.
Source: https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/views/2021/08/21/rescued-do..
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