The Story (to Date) Of Wonder & Ole

[November Rain]

Yesterday HHDRC volunteer Josette & I took the two hour trip to Ratchaburi to the teaching hospital (veterinary) there with 2 little dogs, Wonder (aka Blinky Bill) & Ole.

Blinky (my nickname for Wonder) has been with HHDRC for just over a week. We took him from the local authority run Hua Hin Dog Shelter, where he was just sitting in a small cage all day every day (they're building, so it would be unsafe to let him roam free) and no stimulation or companionship. The reason Blinky was segregated is because he is blind & deaf. When we took him, the first thing we did was take him to our vet, who determined he still had corneal reflexes, so we decided to take him to the eye specialist in Ratchaburi, to see if anything could be done. In the following week, we noticed that he walked in circles to the right a lot, especially when confused, so I began to think the problem might be neurological. He does eat, drink & play normally & adores company!

Ole is not an HHDRC resident. Josette takes care of & neuters/vaccinates/treats the dogs of Wat Na Huay in Pranburi. Ole was born normal, but attacked by big dogs as a puppy & her spine broken. Sadly, her spine has set in a very awkward 'C' shape, which makes it impossible for her to use a conventional doggy trolley/wheelchair, so Josette was taking her to see if a special trolley could be built to aid her mobility. At present, she does use her front legs & Josette performs physio on her by lifting her back half with a towel (like a sling) and allowing her to walk like that.

We saw the wonderful vet there who performed many tests on a stoic Blinky. He determined there was an element of paralysis in his right front & left back leg, as well as the problems we had noted. He thinks that there are lesions on Blinky's brain from a head trauma, possibly near the brain stem & feels his status will remain the same, though he has advised we put him on Vit B complex to see if he improves any.

For Ole, he could not be much help, but did give us some diagrams of trolleys that could be adapted for her use, and that Josette could get made up by a local metalworker. After spending about 45 minutes with us, he told us "no charge" and we left.

Here is a picture of Blinky & Ole on the grass outside the hospital, having a drink & toilet break before we headed back. Despite their problems, don't they seem happy little dogs?

[canadiangirl]

This is perhaps not the most erudite comment, but I just had to say:

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww.....

Good work NR!

[Jet Gorgon]

Cuties! I first wondered if Blinky has an ear infection? (the walking in circles bit) Nice work, NR.

[November Rain]

They are nice dogs, aren't they? Blinky now recognises my smell (& maybe vibrations from my voice) & goes mad whenever I go to the center. I want to take him to my home & keep him there, but I want to be 100% clear of distemper first.