When humans turn a blind eye to maggot-infested dog
Published on: Saturday, October 01, 2022
By: Dr Roslee bin Haji Abbas
We received a message on the WhatsApp reporting that a mangy dog had been injured in the area and his wound was infested with maggots
IN Kota Kinabalu, our teams are busy every day rescuing injured and sick homeless animals, feeding homeless animals and responding to emergency calls in the community. Recently, we received a message on the WhatsApp reporting that a mangy dog had been injured in the area and his wound was infested with maggots. The distressed caller described him as being eaten away alive so we knew his injuries were going to be severe!Our will to live is often much greater than the difficulties in life. This dog has the worst head maggot wound we’ve ever seen so far. His skull is completely exposed and his left eye had been eaten away. Crawling with hundreds of maggots, it’s a wonder he’s made it this far.
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On September 20, we arrived in Kota Marudu and saw this poor boy scrounging for food on the side of the road. Cars were coming and going but no one seemed to pay any attention to the emaciated creature on the side of the road. He was sniffing around for anything that could pass for a scrap of food. He almost got run over, he was so weak, emaciated and he was missing patches of fur.
We stopped our car and directed traffic away from the pup. Poor boy was so full of ticks and fleas. He had a bad case of mange, a contagious skin condition caused by mites burrowing in a dog’s skin. The stress of malnourishment and fighting to survive on the streets as a homeless had depleted the dog’s immune system. As a result, the poor dog was battling a horrible case of Demodex mange. He was almost completely bald and the mange ate away at his skin, causing hair loss, oozing sores and cracked, itchy skin. With timely medication, the disease can be cured.
When we got him we saw that his head wound was full of live maggots and he was severely dehydrated. One of his eyes was also injured. He was the most pitiful, unattractive dog in the place. We saw the dog for who he really is – an animal with feelings who simply wanted to live and be. The dog appeared to have given up hope that anyone would stop to help him. But he was wrong. We the Heart rescue team had saved his life. We respect homeless animals. In general, we love God’s creation. We’re not going to go around the world telling people to save homeless animals, but to love creation – and life – is to serve others. That’s the meaning of life. We named him Putera.
We were told by a witness that Putera was beaten by a passer-by several weeks ago and had caused him with a big wound on his head. On getting closer we saw Putera’s tail was chopped off and riddled with maggots. The sight was horrifying. He was infested with maggots on the neck and the missing half of his tail. He was in so much pain he wouldn’t even take the food that we offered. He was very untrusting. He was never mean, but he was like, ‘Oh, don’t beat me’. He was expecting the worst from humankind. But little did Putera know that his life was about to change for the better.
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We got him leash and collar and put him in our car. We took him to the vet the next morning. The vet put him on fluids (serum) immediately, instilled medication to kill the maggots and gave him pain medications. The vet also sent his blood for testing, to see if he had any other complications. The blood report indicated a severe septicemia, meaning the infection had already spread to his blood. He was given strong antibiotics for his septicemia. He also got treatment for his mange, which had turned into a nasty skin infection. He also got a warm bath, a good meal and lots of love and attention.
After the wound was clean and free from maggots, the vet performed reconstructive surgery to close the gaping wound in the dog’s neck. After the dog’s hospitalisation at our panel veterinary clinic, maggots were removed and his wound is getting better with medical care. Our vet is providing him medical care to recover from the maggot infection and he will soon be back to his own territory in good health after castration and vaccination.
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His is a long road to recovery and we could really use some support. Volunteer, Share the Word, Contribute to his medical care... Putera would appreciate the help.
We hope others, too, will lend a hand when they see a stray/homeless animal in need, because these animals also have feelings. Don’t just ignore them; we believe it’s our social responsibility to help.
We receive no government funding and rely on the support and kindness from our community, private donations and charity bazaar to complete our mission. Heart does not euthanise animals to make space to house others. We are a no-kill animal welfare group and work to preserve life whenever possible.
We rely on donations from people like you who are willing to spend their hard-earned money to help animals in dire need.
If you would like to contribute towards Putera’s healthcare fund and others, please donate your money to:
CIMB BANK BERHAD
Account no.
70 3762569 4
ROSLI @ ROSLEE BIN ABBAS
DONATE – PUTERA (DE)
And every ringgit helps! Thank you in advance for your generous, big and small (and no donation is too small) Please support us!
Have a heart. Donate.
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