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| Ottilie found earlier fame by surviving a cobra bite which very nearly killed her |
Today didn't go at all as planned (do they ever?) and it started very early when I heard whimpering and crying coming from one of the open dog crates which some dogs like to sleep in. It turned out to be Ottilie, one of my older dogs who was already on "no exercise" after injuring her cruciate ligament and needing to rest her leg. She never normally sleeps in a crate, choosing to lie on one of the soft beds instead, so I thought at first she must have got stuck inside. I gently pulled her out and lay her on a cushion but I could tell by then that she was in extreme pain and unable to stand. I was hoping she just had some sort of cramp or discomfort from being scrunched up in the crate all night, but when nothing improved and her pain was very obvious I knew I had to get her to Acorn. It's at these times that Facebook is invaluable because Ottilie is too big and heavy for me to carry off a sampan and into a van, so I asked for help from someone with a car and immediately had offers, for which I'm so grateful.
By the time I met up with Kat (Kuok, our early volunteer, photographer and "Auntie" Sue's daughter), the painkillers I had given Ottilie had kicked in and she had relaxed and stopped her heavy and wild-eyed panting. Even that was such a relief, but I was sure at that point that I would have to let her go when we got to Acorn and was already in tears.
Dr Andy was on duty and he confirmed that Ottilie's back legs were completely without any sensation but that the problem was the spine, not the legs themselves. An X-ray showed age-related degeneration but no obvious problem, and it would take an MRI to establish whether there was a specific injury or tumour. I opted not to go down that route given Ottilie's age and the fact that any surgery would be too much for her, so instead she will have spinal injections which can work wonders if given soon enough. I left Ottilie in hospital and on a painkilling drip, so now all I can do is wait and see.
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| This is the only photo of Gem we have |
As if that wasn't enough drama for the day, just as I was trying to find someone to help with transporting Ottilie to Acorn I got a message from Andrea at the Ap Lei Chau Homing Centre telling me that new poodle Gem had jumped the fence and run off at high speed. Ironically I had only just been telling Andrea how energetic Gem was and that she could run at "a million miles an hour", and sure enough she simply disappeared before anyone had a chance to follow. Volunteers went out searching and asking if anyone had seen a small black poodle, and someone said they had seen a person carrying a black poodle getting onto a sampan. The fact is that Gem is so friendly that she would ask anyone to pick her up, and maybe this person thought Gem had been abandoned. However if that's not the case and no report is made, we may never see Gem again and that's a horrible thought. I had reported her loss to AFCD immediately, but now we must rely on the finder's honesty and integrity and hope that she will report to the police or AFCD that she has found a "stray" dog.
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| Chess and his forever family |
With the last puppy afternoon before Chinese New Year coming up there is at least some good news with the adoption of sweet Chess confirmed, as well as two puppies (now called Mac and Cheese) having their trials converted to adoptions. Derek's sister and sparring partner Trisha will be given a forever home after she was chosen last Sunday, so Sparky will have to take her play spot.
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| Mac and Cheese won't be coming back |
We have so many young puppies, including some new ones, so I'm really hoping that the beautiful weather will encourage adopters to come to Whiskers N Paws. Even if you can't adopt we are looking for fosters for the Chinese New Year holiday, as there will be no puppy afternoon next weekend. All puppies are available for meeting and adoption at any time by arrangement, but there will be a break for just one Sunday. For fostering please contact Cindy at foster@hongkongdogrescue.come before coming to take a holiday pup home. Here are photos of the puppies last Sunday
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| This Sunday is on, the following Sunday is off. |
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| It's non-stop play for Derek and Trisha |
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