We miss you so much Mira

Sadly this diary entry records the passing of a much loved dog at the shelter. Karin's email to the team is shown below and her words reflect our emotions too. She will always be with us in our hearts & minds.

Dear all

With a heavy heart I have to inform you that our dear shelter dog Mira passed away last Friday night.

We found her in the morning lying on the dog sala opposite the house, and she must have died a few hours ago. We hadn’t notice any signs of sickness the day before, she looked happy and playful as usual. She didn’t have any injuries and we assume that her death was caused by diaphragmatic hernia.

Mira was dumped at a crematory together with her siblings when she was a puppy in July last year. The children who lived nearby “played” with Mira by throwing her around like a ball, and from all those falls she suffered a diaphragmatic hernia. A kind woman found her and brought her to a vet, and after that we took her and her siblings in. We knew we couldn’t have Mira sterilized as this would have caused a collapse of her lung. All her siblings got adopted and though Miras adoption chances were low due to this problem, we thought she could spend several happy years with us. But this wasn’t meant to be.

What makes me sad and up-set is that this is most probably another case where human abuse led to the death of an innocent animal, it’s a shame what sufferings humans are able to put on animals.

Wherever you are now, Mira, hope you’ll be happy in the land behind the rainbow. Thank you for the love and joy you brought to us.

Karin

Dog Contest - Well posed dog pics

Any one who has ever tried to photograph dogs, by encouraging them to sit in one spot whilst their camera boots up, focuses & takes the shot that 30 seconds before looked so perfect, will realise that this masterpiece captured by Karin this week was an opportunity not to be missed.



These 3 beauties took it upon themselves to arrange where they sat. In reverse order, the winners are...... Mira for her agility, Samli for her serenity & Bessy for having such courage to climb all that way without having complete hip joints. Also captured at a right moment were Bobby & Emma bedding down for a sleep and Sherry who is just a sociable girl, who likes to sleep on the window sill!

Friday Vet Run

Taking the trip back to the city with JJ were Mutt, ET, Kachou Daeng & Kam along with her 5 pups.

Mutt had been suffering with parasites in his blood and a chronic liver condition. The effect was that his hair had dropped out in places and lost co-ordination of his legs. Today he is having his blood tested with a result available tomorrow. But already it is clear that his liver has improved as his gums are a natural colour and his hair has grown back. At least we can now take him off his medication.

ET is suffering with a runny nose and conjunctivitis of the cornea, Kerititis, which is also termed corneal ulcer. This problem seems to affect many dogs we have cared for. For humans, having their sight affected is very distressing, imagine what it must be like for a dog, especially one that is living rough on the streets. ET was rescued from Kachou, along with Daeng, as they were seriously in danger of being poisoned.

Kachou Daeng came along for a general check up and proved to be ok.

Kam is doing her best to mother her pups. They are now a month old and the vet warned that the mother's immunity that is passed to them, generally only lasts 1 month. So watch this space but lets hope they all survive. From the photo, I think I now know who fathered the puppy's. Taylor has that loose skin look about his face too!

After lunch (Pad mee hoc kiang, aroy mak!) I picked up Mira, Wallace, Yaa, Duchess and a village dog Aidut.

Mira was bitten yesterday by BuunKeow and her left front ankle is infected and swollen. The vet flushed it out with providene and left the wound open. He gave her an anti inflammatory injection and suggested she take Rimydil too.

Wallace came along for a check on his eyes & a limping back leg. The vet couldn't find anything wrong with his leg but said the eye was an old corneal ulcer which didn't need any treatment. The vet was amazed at the improvement in Wallace since he first saw him, his skin improved and his hair growing back. Poor guy was so scared at the examination that he poo'd and wee'd constantly. I already stunk from Mira's vomit but now I felt I was unclean!

Ya, had previously suffered from TvT but after the tumour subsided, her vulva prolapsed and just lately it seems a little more inflamed. The vet examined her and said that the tumour was not returning, if it was he said, there would be blood.

Next up was Duchess who Kh Yom thought had puss coming from her vulva. It transpires that there is a slight infection of the external skin of the vulva (labia) that would appear to be from constantly being moist and dirty. This would be due to the condition of incontinence she suffers as a result of nervous trauma. We will need to try & clean her more often and then try to keep her dry. The vet suggested baby nappy's/diapers/pampers. (Sorry but wikipedia is fascinating sometimes!)

And finally there was Aidut. He had blood taken for a full blood count, as parasites had previously been busy eating his platelets and his blood was so thin at one stage he had blood running from his nose. We will await the result to see if he needs further treatment. He is more lively this week and apparently according to his owner, back to his old self.

On the way back to the shelter, I pulled off the road to help a dog out of trouble. Some stupid, immature, inhumane and despicable person (a lazy singlet wearing greasy looking guy actually) had tied a plastic toy to the dogs tail.

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.

Thursday vet trip

Tdoon is still not walking but despite no movement in his back legs, he is dragging himself about and managing to eat, poo & pee ok. He also likes to bury himself in damp sand! Tdoon went to see another vet today and after more Xrays, they found the problem. Fractured right pelvice and vertabra 11 & 12 out of place. Vet recommended Remydil for 2 weeks and Vit B to improve nerve system. He had nerve sensation in his tail and both legs so it was quite possible he would walk again but the vet warned, as with all rear end injuries, there is a high risk of nerve damage which can affect the control of the bladder & bowel.

Duchess has puss coming from her vulva. She was checked for pyometra but it seems she only has a slight infection in her Urethra. She is still suffering from her dripping incontinence and the vet thought the infection came from her not cleaning herself. - Not surprising really, can you imagine licking yourself 24 hours a day to clean yourself. Antibiotics and cleaning routine to continue.

Ya's TvT is now shrinking away dramatially. The tumurs also look smaller on her belly. She is now socialising a bit at the shelter, rather than spending so much time under that pallet. Today she gets her 4th injection and will need another 2.

Brought a village dog called Char to the vet with me today. This scrawny little dog which looks a bit like a long haired datchshund but unfortunately, the reason for the visit, with very little hair on his body. Vet recommended .4cc Ivomec weekly for 4 weeks along with 2cc Cefolexin & half a tab of prenisilone daily. A good shower once a week with medicated shampoo would also improve things.

Mira today needs her lungs checked for fluid. This is the little pup with diaphragmatic hernia. She is still suffering with Kennel Cough and indeed the xray showed there was quiate a build up of moisture in one side of her lungs. Vet prescribed a mild diaretic and changed her antibiotics to see if we could shift this infection. The vet also said that to operate on the hernia, to repair the whole in the diaphram, would cost about 4,500 baht and there was a 50/50 chance of sucess (living) due to the assisted breathing risk. In the meantime she cannot be sterilised because that too would require opening the body cavity and release the vaccume. This dog needs a safe and caring home.

Leena, great news!! Her TvT has receeded and the treatment can now stop. We can sterilise her asap.

Meeting friends

Leena 2nd TvT jab, slight weight loss, mass inside still same size.

Uwun 3rd TvT jab 17.5 kilo, mass inside now 1cm, reduced by half.

Phuk, village dog with open wounds that seem not to be healing. Soft tissue tumour and getting worse. On legs from laying down, on belly from wound after jumping fence. Advised to wear collar and continue Augmentine. Flush left side wound with hydrogen peroxide as it is septic.

Mira, puppy rescued from boys playing football with her in Crematorium. Suffered internal injuries to her diaphragm (diaphragmatic hernia) Today is suffering from breathing heavy, signs of cold and vomiting. Respiratory tract infection, separate from others.

Fluffy (skinny black fluffy mess ) Lice eggs on hair, anaemia - yellow gums and skin, sarcoptic mange. Frontline, Ivomec 1xweek, cefolexin & vit b daily. Medicated shower weekly.

Met up with Nola, another volunteer and met Winifred for the first time. Found out that there are in fact 5 different 7-11 stores in Huay Keaw road and Winifred was waiting at the last one!! She wanted to rescue Sua Suay, a hairless black dog who lived in the street near her home. Vet diagnosed advanced sarcoptic mange and suggested 1,000 mg fish oil 400mg Vit E for black dry skin, Ivomectine for at least 2 months .5cc per week and shower with Amitraz. Took him to shelter along with a donation from Winifred.