Wiang Kum Kam

Today I returned Urrr Lurrr back home after her sterilisation 2 weeks ago and a successful treatment of conjunctivitis. As soon as I set the transport cage on the ground, she was off like a rocket into the familiar surroundings of the vendor area at the front of Wiang Kum Kam. I hardly had time to whip the camera out & just managed to catch a departing shot. Despite only having 3 legs operating, she can certainly run at a pace. Maybe it was the excitement of being home?

Next I caught up with Kh Chom (village hairdresser & animal lover) who was taking some time out over the holiday period to walk amongst the ruins of temples & chedi, along with BuunLai, NongLai, BuunKeow and his 2 favourite goats, Makham & Daeng. We lifted the transport cage from the rear of the truck and let BuunKaow (the white dog with black lips) rejoin her friends and they all ran to greet her & there was lots of muzzle licking & sniffing and some playful chases. This girl had at last found her freedom and also free of the TvT we discovered when we took her along for a routine sterilisation.

This dog was a nightmare to catch, not even Kh Chom was ever able to touch her, so we had to trick her & feed her a sedative. She just hated the transportation, and hated the accommodation at the shelter. She is physically healed now but I still feel she is scared permanently by the capture, restraint & confinement, that the process of sterilisation requires of a dog of this nature. She is also camera shy and once the greeting was over, ran off to find a shady spot out of the way.

Wiang Kum Kam

Here is a little bit of happiness and light.

Took BuunKeow from the shelter back to Wiang Kum Kam, after her sterilisation. She was only meant to stay away for the one day (yesterday) but as we were so late, we took her back to the shelter for the night.

As you can see from the photo, BuunLai is very pleased to see her and I just wish I could have recorded the sounds he made too. He was ecstatic, almost squealing and crying.

Kh Chom, the barber, was also very relieved to see her. He is a little worried that his babies keep disappearing and fears that they will not return. He is such a genuine sweet man. When he speaks, it is always with utmost reverence, when he listens, it is with great intensity and when he is with the dogs, he shows his pleasure and happiness. Here is a guy I would love to give a big cuddle to, especially today.

Donations, Adoptions & Lucky Dogs

Popped into Wiang Kum Kam to pick up NongLai for sterilisation this morning but despite asking Kh Chom to keep her in a transport cage overnight, she was off roaming and eating & drinking stuff. So no vet trip today. Instead, I took her back to the shelter for a vet run tomorrow. BuunLai took it bad. He was very vocal and howled for ages at the back of my truck and I almost let her out again. Still it will only be a day apart, she will be back there tomorrow evening.

Travelled into town to reclaim money from a travel agent that was due to Nola, who volunteered with us last year and is now back in the states. She has asked me to collect the refund, donate some to Wat Jedi Luang, some to Care for Dogs and then send the rest back to her. What a lovely girl she is.

So off to Chedi Luang I go, because I have never been there in all the time I have been here and wondered what existed behind those high walls and caused for her to speak or write about it so much.

Its an awesome looking Chedi and indeed there are loads of doggy's just wandering around.

I was there for 20 minutes. Dur durrrrr! Wheel clamp with a Police ticket on the screen. Silly me, I didn't understand the one sign on the street written in Thai to say that I should not park on this side of the road today. Murphy's law! The other side had loads of space to park but I chose to park in the shade. Anyway, that said goodbye to an hour while I waited for the Traffic Police to come & unlock the wheel clamp. The guy suggested I take a tuk tuk to the station and pay a fee and then return & await for him to revisit and unlock it. I showed him my camera pics and moaned in a very nice way and he took licence and gave me a ticket. Bugger!

Found a coffee shop and drowned my sorrows! A slice of Lemon Meringue helped.

In the afternoon, some folks came to the shelter hoping to adopt a dog. They had seen a picture of Noy, a short legged Rottweiler and wanted to see him. I drove them to Doi Saket, to visit him during his training stay with Nienke of Lucky Dogs fame.

They seemed very interested but want some time to think about it. They want the dog for their parents and want to tell them all about him first. Lets wait & see.

Once again, back at the shelter, some more folks turned up hoping to adopt a dog. These guys brought along 4 big bags of food for the shelter and wanted to see some of the cute little puppies that had previously been dumped at Mr Chan Pizza Restaurant. They also went away to consider their options.

Maybe it was something I had for breakfast.... today was just a disaster!

Wiang Kum Kam

Showered BuunLai again today and his skin & hair are looking so much better. He is so playful and affectionate. I really do enjoy my Monday visits to see him. Today NongLai was also very affectionate and she posed especially for a regal photo. (BuunLai & NongLai are an item and spend all their time together)

Whilst there, I gave some Ivomec to him in some sardines and slipped some Sedalin in some sardines to catch another dog called BuunKaow. (Don't ask me why the hair dresser at Wiang Kum Kam has named all the dogs starting with Buun)... (ok ok, Buun is goodness, virtue & merit & the opposite of Barb which means evil & sin ) Anyway, she needs to be sterilised, she is hard to catch and right now, she is available & not hiding under a house. She is now at the shelter awaiting a trip to the vet.

If you are wondering why her mouth looks strange, I can assure you she hasn't been eating coal. There is none at the shelter! I think she has been scared by something like acid or burnt.

I then visited the front area of Wiang Kum Kam and found the poor wretch still tucked away in the stable area, the empty bowl I had put down last week, still in front of him/her and they were still looking so sorry for themselves. I put some more sardines & Ivomec down and I expect to see that bowl in the same place next week too. Saw the other dog Sua (Tiger) stretched out in the sun & gave him the same potion for his mange.

Gave loads of chews away and some dogs were more accepting of me this week. This place is definitely in need of our help to sterilise as many as possible to bring down their numbers. Today just driving through the complex of ruins and around the front entrance, I counted no fewer than 30 dogs.

Its a holiday - But do the dogs know it?

Went to Wiang Kum Kam and met Kh Chom. We showered BuunLai with the medicated shampoo again and he is looking a little better for the last shower he had. Today there was no blood and his skin looks more hairy.

He enjoyed the BBQ pork I brought along and ran around afterwards to show his excitement.

Spotted a few candidates for sterilisation this week.

Visited the front of the Wiang Kum Kam complex, where all the tourists board a pony & trap or a small tractor type coach for a tour of the old city. There I found numerous dogs in various states of deterioration, ranging from hair to eyes missing and far too many young puppies running around from 2 heavily lactating bitches.

Opened a tin of mackerel and fed Ivomec to 2 poor creatures, one of them was hiding in a barn where it seemed to stay out of the way and I sensed almost wished to die.

I will visit these again next week and try to build their health over time.

Drove around the city for an hour looking for JJ and still no sight of him. Posters at Tesco's, Airport Plaza & traffic light junctions have not delivered any sightings either.

Returned to the shelter in the afternoon to meet some folks that wanted to adopt a dog. It was successful with 2 young pups finding new homes.

Lesson 1 !

I woke up today thinking that I must get down to Wiang Kum Kam and give BuunLai a nice shower but more of that later.

Received a call just after breakfast from Karin about a kind man who had seen an emaciated dog near The Gallery & Good View Restaurant on Charoen Rat Road next to the river. I made my way there and saw the poor creature tucking into a plate of food put there by Mary, the wife of the original caller and an extremely kind hearted woman. We stood and chatted while the hungry dog ate and tried now & again to get a little closer. I noticed he had off white puss dripping down his willy from its base but not blood and certainly not from the open end. This guy looks as though he has some infection there.

After a while I could see this was not going to be easy, with all the traffic buzzing past 2 metres away and I could see the dog was street wise enough to not trust a stranger bearing gifts. So I trotted over to 7-11 and bought a tasty sandwich and tried a dose of Sedaline ( sedative) with him. He ate some of it and settled down for a while looking at the rest. Mary & I were a little hot and dry from standing in the street & shouting above the traffic noise so when she invited me to her home, literally across the road, for a cool drink to wait for the sedative to work, how could I refuse. Duh Duuur! Lesson 1 - Never try to sedate & dog and then leave it out of your sight!

I called to Karin and she burst out laughing and when I called Rochan at Lanna Dog Rescue, just in case they had picked up this dog as they had also been asked to attend, I could hear a laugh in her voice too. They both said that dogs like to go off walking when they feel the sedative working and try to find a safe place to rest. Silly me......I totally agree.

Anyway, never mind, he will be back and Mary will give me a call when she see's him again. The refreshing cold drink at Mary's home however, gave me the opportunity to meet CeCe & Sun. They are both rescued from the streets and they have settled in to Mary's home nicely. It also gave us a chance to chose a name for him, JJ.

On the way back home, I stopped off at Wiang Kum Kam. Firstly to catch up with Lucky (Eyes), the dog with Glaucoma and found that his condition was just the same. I took a few pics and will send them to the vet for his further advice. Next door I stumbled upon a female with enlarged teats.

I asked the neighbour about the dog and she showed me a litter of 9 puppy's scattered on a rough piece of ground beside her home. She was happy and carried on cleaning & packing strawberries.

Then I went to see BuunLai. Kh Chom held him, while I shampooed and showered him with the medicated that Jo had kindly donated & left with Kh Chom last week. Well, as you can imagine, I got a free shower too and Kh Chom went to great lengths to hang on to BuunLai who at first wanted nothing to do with it all. After a while he realised we were making him smell & look a lot nicer and he gave in. After all, his girlfriend was watching !!

Wiang Kum Kam

Visited BuunLai today with Jo. We were a little taken aback by his pink coloured hair( that hair he has got) and Kh Chom said someone came yesterday and covered him in an antiseptic lotion.

Gave BuunLai some chews and made a fuss of him, then went to see Kh Chom's sister nearby.

Her dog Kaew she said was 15 and his ear was bleeding this week. She also said his willy was bleeding too. I looked at the cauliflower TvT willy and it ran blood down my hand. The ear was a mass of rotting flesh. I asked her if she had treated the dog for any of this and she said he was eating ok until last week when he started to bleed. I watched him stagger around on floppy legs and offered to take him to a vet and relieve him of his misery humanely but she said she would rather carry on feeding him. This poor creature deserves a better quality of life after 15 years hard labour.


We returned to BuunLai and found him playing with a scared brown female with a droopy tummy and puss ouzing from her Vulva.

I knew immediately it was Pyometra. The vet visit said the same but at least it was 'Open Pyometra' which meant that there is at least escape of the fluid. BuunKeow is being operated on today and I will take her back to the shelter tomorrow for R&R.

Kh Chom had said to me that the females in the area had all been given 'the anti pregnancy injection' Thats scares me, we will have to hurry up and do more sterilisations in Wiang Kum Kam.

BuunLai

After my visit 2 days ago, I couldn't stop thinking about BuunLai. His back is almost the same as it was last September when I first met him. I took him to the vet for tests and they said his back was bleeding due to him scratching from the irritation of fleas. The vet added that due to the long term suffering of Mange, BuunLai's skin was now brittle ( like rice paper ) and must be moisturised.

So today BuunLai starts Antibiotic & Anti itch meds and I will spray him with Frontline.

I feel for this dog. He has such a lovely character and is just existing day to day in the ruins of the old city at Wiang Kum Kam, occasionally getting a tit-bit from a passer by or some love from the hairdresser and some food that I have given to him for BuunLai. I just wish I had more space and give him a home near to me.

Weekly Feed at Wat Doi Kam

Teresa joined me today for the feed. I think she fell in love with Butch and says she has a personal mission to fatten him up and get him to come to her. (Good luck Teresa :) )

Only half the pack here again today. Where are they?

It was great to have company with me to distract Dam, the dominant male, while the submissive ones got a feed with me, rather than just mopping up scaps after I have emptied the bowls on the carpark floor and drive away. I know this sounds terrible but thats the reality of the situation.

In November 2006 Royal Flora opened and this place (Wat Doi Kam) just went crazy. Stalls selling stuff like gardening equipment, dried fruits, bamboo flutes & cd's and a whole range of other 2 minute wonders. The car park became a dusty rubbish dump and instead of 2 cars a day, there were around 1000. Rubbish at this temple has always been a problem, the staff just sweep it over the edge into the forest. But now, it is beyond words.

This week Royal Flora closed after its initial 3 months and maybe the pack at Doi Kam can get back to a routine like they had before November.

Noticed Sonja limping today and when I lifted her in my arms I saw why. each foot had at least one pad with the skin hanging off and raw flesh exposed to the ground. I took her back to the shelter after a vet trip, to have some R&R with daily dressings and a good feed.

Also took Sandy to the shelter for sterilisation. This little dog had been dumped at the temple about 2 weeks ago and just sat around the car park looking at each car that came, just in case it was her family coming back to collect her. She had lost weight and was not joining the pack.



In the afternoon, went to Winag Kum Kam to see BuunLai and Kh Chom the hairdresser. He asked me to visit a neighbour, who had a dog with a problem. Lucky is a dog they found wandering on a petrol station forecourt a year ago and thought it was a St Bernard puppy. The picture says it all. Poor thing cannot see, his nose is severely bruised from bumping into things. The vet diagnosed Glaucoma and prescribed some drops. He said the current meds the owners had from another vet were not to treat the same condition and wondered why ? He said to check results in 2 weeks after using the new drops. The vet also agreed with me that the dog may be Albino as the skin in his mouth, ears, eyes & nose were extremely pink. This the vet suggested could indicate that there were more issues awaiting to arise. I informed the owner of the diagnosis and I will visit him in 2 weeks to see Lucky.

BuunLai goes home

Well the guy is finally pulling through and his skin is no longer bleeding every day. His stiches have been removed after the benign tumur was removed and he is looking much fitter than he did when I took him to the shelter, exactly 3 months ago.

Kh Chom, the village hairdresser was there to greet him and BuunLai worked himself into a frenzy, marking all his territory with a pee and a goud ground scuffing along with his characteristic vocals. BuunLai howls like a wolf and makes a groaning sound when stretching his legs or when he is excited.

Today, he is trotting around as if he has a new set of legs, endless energy and a smile from ear to ear.

His dog friends also came to greet him and he was definaely relaxed and happy to be home.

BuunLai won't stop bleeding

BuunLai now has a lump growing on the top of his back and his skin is so brittle that he keeps bleeding. Took him to the vet today and they suggested it be removed today and tested.

Ya gets her 7th TvT Jab today and it seems her external tumour has reduced as much as it ever will, just a little redness around her vulva. Vet said to check in 1 month and then arrange for her to be sterilised.

Mira gets her monthly Xray and shows that her lungs are looking ok. Vet said we need only xray every 6 months now, unless her condition was noticably worse. Looking at her now, she is finally putting on weight and growing up.

A very sad day

BuunLai suffering with blood in poo and green in colour. Vet recommended to change antibiotics for 3 days and then swap back again.

Long, a village dog believed to have chagas. Very weak and now not able to poo by himself, needing to have it squeezed out daily or else it would rot inside. He had a tumour on his testes and wounds on his feet were gangrenous.

After consulting with the owner, it was felt better for Long to be Euthanized.

Keera, a black cocker spaniel with Dry Eye problem, that were full of gunk after a day and also fungal infection in her ears. Schema test on tears proved under 3, should be 15. Must be cleaned every 12 hours and cream applied. This will be a long term treatment, something that will not just clear up & get better.

Lady, recently gave birth to 9 babies and she was not producing milk and appearing lethargic. Vet recommended to give baby food to her to build health.

All babies put on Amoxicillin syrup .1cc and fed every 3 hours

My first rescue

Vistited Wiang Kum Kam yesterday and returned today to see a dog I saw laying at the side of the road covered in blood. Found BuunLai and a barber (Kh Chom) who had been feeding him for the past year or so. Took BuunLai to vet and tested positive for Demodec mange. Very little hair on body, very smelly and lots of open wounds and running blood. Returned to shelter.

1cc Ivomec after meal every day and 500 mg cefolexin 2xday.Anti histamine Hydroxyzine HCI
10 mg 2xday. Cover open wounds with NEGASAN to stop flies laying eggs. Shower 1xweek