For those of you that are disturbed by photos of dogs with terrible wounds this would be a good time to turn back. I have intentionally made the thumbnail one of the good pictures so that people don't get grossed out.
If you are ok with a little shock and awe this is a learning opportunity because this sort of thing is something that we see on a regular basis with the less-fortunate street dogs of Krabi, Thailand. I am sure there are similar situations around the world in countries where stray dogs are not considered important and they are basically ignored by most of the population. I am not saying that Thai people are uncaring, it is just that things have always been this way as far as this country is concerned so they are not surprised by it when they see it.
The sad aspect about a dog (or cat) that is in this state is that what little help they get from various communities when they are healthy (ish) they tend to receive none of that treatment when they are looking ill or diseased. It is ironic that when they look their worst is when they actually need help the most.
Despite being in a terrible shape, this girl was very approachable and friendly and gave us very little trouble as far as getting her to the veterinarian office, which she desperately needed.
While we do not know what lead to her being in this terrible state it is usually a case of being struck by a car, motorbike, or a human with a weapon of some sort that is annoyed by their presence near their house. The last one is the most despicable because it is harm done intentionally with no concern for their suffering whatsoever.
The infestation of maggots in her head was so extreme that we were surprised that she was still alive when we found her, let along walking around on her own free will. This wouldn't have remained the case for very long because hundreds of maggots and blood parasites had to be flushed from her skull and even individually removed by hand.
It was so extreme that anesthetic needed to be used.
The good news is that while we were unsure if she was going to make it, after the procedure she started to make a very rapid recovery although she was a little less that thrilled about being confined. When a dog has fresh wounds like this it is unwise to put them around other dogs, especially ones that they are unfamiliar with. Even though the dogs at our kennels are the "nicest" ones, tiny fights do happen with dogs that would rarely result in injury. If the dog is already injured though, this can easily reopen the wounds.
She's had all parasites removed and a preventative parasite edible was given that will protect her from reinfestation for the next 3 months. We will be returning her to her semblance of a home soon and also speaking to neighbors and pleading with them to help us out in making sure that she is ok. They don't have to do anything themselves. All we ask is that they please be our local eyes and let us know if something bad happens. When we do this we normally find that the neighbors in these places are more than willing to help out and this is very good for our cause.
I think that most people don't get involved because the problem looks to insurmountable when you look at the big picture and the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of dogs in need in Thailand, but if we all band together just a little bit we might not be able to solve the problem, but we can make the overall situation a lot better.
Before she was returned back to her home she was also sterilized and vaccinated and this should help her to live the best life that she possibly can given the circumstances.
As always I strongly encourage you to put forth a helping hand with stray dogs in your own part of the world, even if this just giving them a bit of food or if you see an injured dog or cat, to look and see if your area has an organization such as our own that is happy to help.
if you would like to see how you can help out or simply spread the word, please visit our website at
http://krabianimalwelfare.org
Krabi Animal Welfare is a charity run entirely by volunteers and are a registered non-profit organization in Thailand and the U.K.. We aim to relieve the pain and suffering of dogs and cats within Krabi Province.
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