Friday, January 16, 2009

Down but not out

(Crossposting from 4 Legged Love)


Sasha is a timid little 5 month old pup that has been kept as a "guard dog" at a car garage for her entire yet short life. Sasha had never been to a vet for a check-up or vaccinations and her owner's had no intentions of having her spayed. She has been housed out doors with 5 other dogs and being the runt of the litter Sasha has always been picked on. This is not the first time she has been to the vet with open wounds; she was previously attacked by the other larger dogs. Her previous owner made no attempts to keep Sasha safe from the other dogs and in the mean time Sasha has tried to fend for herself. She is the smallest and has never been able to fight for her share of food so she is also very underweight right now. As of late Sasha was attacked again, she was brought to Pyne Hills Veterinary Hospital in Tottenham, ON where she was to be euthanized when her owner declined treatment for her wounds which would likely cost upwards of $2200. Dr. Bajwa the vet on call could not let that happen to such a sweet young dog and asked Sasha's owner's if they would surrender her to his care rather then euthanize her, they agreed and Sasha's recovery has been in the caring hands of Dr. Bajwa and his staff at the clinic.

When she arrived at the clinic just before New Years poor Sasha was so caked in mud and blood that staff had to bathe her before they could begin assessing her injuries. She has just recovered from her last attack and has hair growing in on her nose and face where she was previously tended to by the vet. This poor girl has lacerations on all of her legs, inside and out, some are so deep that her muscle tissue is visible. There are also lacerations on her ears, thighs and other minor ones all over her body. Most of the wounds that may require stitches can not be closed because they are on her lower legs where there is not enough skin to close them all properly, they also need to be left open so that they can drain and do not cause further trauma by becoming abscessed (swollen, full of bacteria and infected).



Further updates on Sasha here.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The rescue desperately needs money for Sasha's vet expenses. Please donate whatever you can, no matter how small. It all adds up. Tsk tsking about "what a sad case" does nothing. Empathy is nice but cash is what is needed. So please everyone, pony up and pass this on to all your friends and ask that they do the same. The rescue website has several different ways to donate, please go there and give something, anything. Let's get this little one healed and off to her new life.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Fred said...

Hello Anonymous,

I don't mean to be rude but I deleted your comment. I figured it wouldn't be civil of me to put up something like that without some explanation about why you feel the way you do - just to be fair to the other side.

I hope some of your concerns are addressed in the next comment.

Fred said...

I should have put a disclaimer at the top of the post.

I don't usually like posting stuff like this because I don't personally know the rescue or the specifics of the situation. There are thousands of people asking for donations for specific dogs online and I figure if that's how someone wants to help, it's easy enough to find a grateful recipient.

But Sasha's story was forwarded to me and I broke my own rule this time, maybe because I'm going through sugar withdrawal and my head's spinning. Anyway, this post is for Sasha, the pup, not for 4 Legged Love. Her details are on their website and contact info is there too, so if anyone feels inclined to check out her story, please do.

Yes, I found the bit about the vet covering the costs and then not covering the costs a bit confusing as well but maybe someone can clear that up.

Either way, I hope Sasha pulls through.

Anonymous said...

Just wanted everyone to know..a friend of mine took some dog food to the vet clinic treating Sasha this afternoon. While there, Sasha and her foster mother came in to have Sasha's bandages changed. The foster mom is a young woman, with a couple of dogs of her own. She has taken on the responsibility of almost round the clock care of Sasha despite the fact that she is not financially well off. My friend said when she met the foster mom, she knew in her heart she had done the right thing. So, next weekend we will be taking up some big bags of dog food for Sasha. If anyone wants to contribute anything, please do so. This young ladie's story is reminiscent of the old adage about if there is room in your hear, there is room for one more at the table. The vet did not adopt Sasha. Sasha's owner, who I hope roasts in hell on iron spikes, wanted her euthanized. The vet refused and had her signed over to him simply so that the owner could never come back and reclaim her. So, the rescue is paying for her vet care and could certainly use some help. Ten dollars is only coffee for a week!!!! I can live without Tims for a week if it means this little girl is mended and on her way to a new home. How about you?????