13 Dogs to the vet in 2 cars!

Out TvT (Transmissible Venereal Disease) campaign continues unabated, today we had 6 cases to see the vet for update check & injections. The course of treatment typically lasts 4 to 7 weeks, depending on the severity of the tumour, the consistent provision of the medication and the dogs state of health to deal with the chemotherapy.

Phuky has been on the treatment the longest and is now well & truly on the road to recovery. Her condition was severe due to extended neglect and despite recently having fly larvae in her tumour, with antibiotics and increased cleaning routine, she will possibly only need one or maybe 2 more jabs.

Panda is doing very well. We are at least able to see his tumour, as the size has decreased and his foreskin can be pulled back, something a couple of weeks ago was unthinkable. He will need another visit next week before he is completely cleared.

Moom is in the same condition, check next week and then see if he can have Thursday's off in the future! Poor guy, hates getting up so early every Thursday for his trip to the shelter from home at 6.30am and then hanging out with all those homeless lot at the shelter!

Kelly is a new one to the list, she was picked up for sterilisation 2 weeks ago and found to have TvT during the op.

Cynthia is the girl we blow darted last week at a temple to bring in for sterilisation. She too was found to have TvT. Living at the temple, she is very scared and not social with people and handling her was a little problematic at times. I am convinced it wasn't the thought of me darting her again.

Pat is a restaurateur from near my home. Well that's what she said but frankly she is a dog that lives behind & under a restaurant with her 4 month old puppy along with a male companion. What a life! She has early TvT and hopefully will not need too many jabs as some of the cases we see.

Next up was Angie. She was found wandering in the streets with no place to call home. Her right eye is deformed and the vet said that this was a congenital condition called Anophthalmia. He suggested that unless it became infected, to just leave and keep clean. We will need to observe her and see how she goes on. The reality is that if she is startled, she shows a small eye because her reaction is to open her eyes wide and the small under developed eye shows through the controlling eye lids. Otherwise it just hides out of the way.

Mandy ( was called Pui) had her large tumour removed last week and today she is seeing the vet as she is having problems passing water. (Having a pee) The vet inspected her and said this was most definitely a bladder full of stone. We will take her in this Saturday for another op. Bless her, she is such a lovely girl. Dumped on the streets as she was, to improve her health would be a pleasure & give her a new lease of life.

Lady the Labrador is here today for an update blood check, to see if her platelets are recovering their balance.

After completing their other treatments over the past few weeks, Lucy & BuunRod are commencing their Heartworm treatments. The blood tests of kidney & liver were satisfactory and they got their first injections for Heartworm today. They have been on Aspirin for a week, to prepare their blood and today the injection will start to kill off the worms , which in both cases the vet said were at an early stage. Tomorrow they will receive their second & final injection. We will need to ensure they don't run around too much, so the dying worms do not clog their hearts & cause other problems.

Libby a cute little ball of fun. She was dumped along with 6 other pups at the front gate of Karin's home last weekend in a sack. They are getting along fine at this stage but time will tell. They were obviously removed from their mother far too early and their immunity will not be high. Today Libby was the 'guinea pig', getting the once over for blood, faeces & skin tests to check if they have anything happening that we should be aware of. The blood test shows a parasite present and we will medicate accordingly. Unchecked, maybe they would slowly deterioate. Watch this space.

And then last but far from least, is Joe. This dog was rescued last week from the corridors of a police station at a late hour of the day, where he had sought refuge. He was diagnosed last week by one learned scholar, who is currently responsible for teaching veterinary students at a reputed clinic associated with a local university ( no names no pack drill!), as suffering from pneumonia. Unfortunately, there is only one 24 hour emergency centre here.

Today the vet, who we are more confident with, gave us a proper diagnosis. He x-rayed Joe's neck and found the 1st vertebrae, the one you feel is a big lump behind your skull, or the dogs for that matter, to be damaged. The flange on the left appeared to be misshapen or fractured and this it was suggested could attribute why he was walking stiffly and could not bend his head. The vet gave him an anti inflammatory (a characteristic of my writing maybe?) injection and prescribed Prednisolone 2 x twice a day. (Karin tells me that Joe is already showing improvements, just hours after his jab)