I'll walk back what this is about for anyone that doesn't know what is going on here. We were told about a dog that had a collar on and the dog wasn't letting people approach it and the collar on it was painfully tight on the dog. This is likely because someone put a collar on it when it was young and then they stopped looking after it or the dog moved to a different location or was abandoned at a different location. Whatever the reasons were, the dog no longer had an owner and it of course was unable to remove the collar. It was choking her and also had gotten to the point where it was digging into her skin and well, it was more likely that infection would kill her than asphyxiation but I would imagine that every moment of her life was agony because breathing was difficult.
We put out a notice to the local community including her picture to encourage people to not collar dogs that are not their own although this is a common practice in Thailand. It is kind of an indicator to let the unofficial culling gangs know that this particular dog is "looked after" even though often they are not.
I have intentionally not included the more gruesome pictures but trust me, that collar had dug a good 4cm into her skin and fur and it was only because it had been on her for so long that there wasn't any blood anymore. It is just alarming to me that so many people would see this situation and never do anything about it. We were apprehensive to approach her for numerous reasons. We don't want to get her breathing up and have her die from lack of ability to get air, and we also didn't want to get bit when trying to remove the collar, which let me tell you, was not easy. It was so locked in place that we had to cut it off and we have special tools for this to ensure it doesn't harm the dog.
When the collar came off the damage was pretty crazy but here we are many weeks later and Khao has made a wonderful recovery.
Just look at that lovely lady. She is still a bit afraid around people but is doing much beter than when we first got a hold of her.
The abrasions and cuts that were on her neck because of the collar is likely something that she is going to have on her body for the rest of her life because while it isn't possible for us to know how long it was on her, we are estimated the better part of a year and during the time when she was continually growing. Dogs are extremely good at staying alive so as far as Khao was concerned this thing that was making her life difficult had always been a part of her life so she learned how to get by. This doesn't change the fact that it was attracting insects and constant discomfort.
She is approaching the outdoor life with a bit more vigor but it might be a while before she is fully aware that she can actually do activities and stuff now without running out of breath.
A donor who wished to remain anonymous is the main reason why this story has a happy ending and they handled all of the bills associated with Khao's recovery. Khao doesn't yet have a forever home, so she was returned to the remote temple where she was discovered.
There is a learning moment here though: If your dog is a puppy, even if you are looking after it very well, it is a bad idea to have a collar on them all the time. Actually, I would say that full-time collars are a bad idea no matter what situation the dog is in. How much time does it really take for you to put the collar on and take it off whenever the situation calls for it? It is quite common in places like North America for a dog to have a full-time collar but those situations are very different since there is actual animal control services. I'm not certain but I believe it is actually required to have a collar on a dog that spends any time outdoors on its own. You make the call and obey the laws of your land but if there is even a small chance that your dog could end up getting lost or getting out of your yard, collars aren't really necessary anymore since most people have transitioned to under-skin electronic chips for identification anyway.
While this situation of Khao might seem rare the fact that it ever happens at all is enough of a reason to not do this and especially if the animal is still growing. When the dog gets older the neck gets bigger, right?
Khao seems happy and we will continue to monitor her at the temple but for the time being she seems happy and healthy and ready to take on the outside world with renewed vigor.
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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