The Prem Hand to Paw (H2P) students had their last visit to Wat Nong Pla Mon before their school holidays on Thursday, December 17th.

Due to the recent fatal poisoning of the Alpha male, “Buck” at the temple the students wanted to again remind the monks to use the 24 hour hotline set up by Care for Dogs (CFD) to be used for such emergencies no matter what the hour of day or injury.

Although the monks have used the hotline in the past, it was used more or less to let us know of a fatality of a dog, not immediate attention as it was intended.

12 days latter on December 29^th Karin at CFD received the emergency phone call at 8:00 am.  Apparently, another dog had fallen victim to a random, archaic and cruel poisoning.  Karin immediately called me to let me know of the circumstances; Leela poisoned, dog somewhere on temple grounds, unsure of her condition, monks had to leave for school, and therefore, no one would be there.

Still lounging in my morning sweatpants and sipping my second cup of coffee, I knew that time was of the essence in a poisoning. In my disheveled attire I grabbed for my car keys and medical kit and I was soon zooming out of the drive.

Unused to dealing with medical emergencies, my last call to a fatal shooting of one of the dogs found me in a panicked state, overcome with uncontrollable crying. I made a pact with myself that the next emergency I would do my best to remain calm, cool and collected.

Trying to get my emotions in check during the 15 minute drive to the temple my thought drifted to thoughts of Leela, one of the Hand to Paw’s favorite friends.  A young dog with a playful and mischievous character, she would stick to the H2P students like glue during our weekly visits.

Leela had been cared for us since she was a young pup and the thought of her lying alone with the agony of poisoning took all of my courage to keep my emotions in check.

Upon arriving to the temple I saw Leela immediately lying at the front of the monk’s quarters.

She was in quite a state as it appeared the monks had tried a haphazard attempt to induce vomiting. Leela was covered in egg yolk, oil and dirt that had collected on the sticky mixture.  She was rigid with convulsions, whimpering, semi-comatose with her tongue hanging out black and swollen.

Without a second thought I scooped her up, lay her in the back of the car and covered her with blankets to prevent further shock.  Shaking and speaking to her calmly I drove off into Chiang Mai’s morning rush hour traffic looking for a clinic or hospital that would be open at that hour of the morning.

I did not know if I was going to be able to find help quick enough to save her, but my thoughts ran to relieving her suffering, her survival seemed bleak.  The Mae Rim dog clinic was not opened yet so I continued on towards Chiang Mai, frantically thinking of the closest hospital that could handle a dog poisoning. My thoughts went back to the “N-do Animal Hospital” on the second ring road near the city prison.  I prayed they were opened and knew it would take me at least 30 minutes to get there…hold on Leela!

As I pulled in to the front of the clinic the doctor was just arriving on his motorbike.  He reacted immediately to my cries for help and grabbed Leela from the car and carried her to the clinic, immediately placing her on an IV drip.

Dr. Nopporn Junma and Dr. Noppawan Thanajirasin worked diligently on Leela, asking me many questions, of which I had few answers.  Unsure of the type of poisoning that Leela succumbed to and her rapidly declining vital signs they administered the antidotes for both rodent and pesticide poisonings.

Reluctantly, I had to leave Leela in their care to return to my job.  At midday I received a call from the doctor to say that Leela was crying and in a coma.  They had given her a sedative to relieve her pain.  I asked what were her chances and if we should peacefully put her to sleep.

Much to my surprise, the doctor was not ready to give up.  He wanted to give her another 24-48 hours.  I was so overcome by the doctor’s optimism I knew I had made the right decision in taking her to this hospital, no matter what the outcome.

After work, I returned to the hospital to see Leela.  If she was not going to survive, I wanted to let her know she was well loved and let her feel a familiar touch. Upon entering the hospital, I was met by both doctors with smiling faces….

Leela had just awoken, was responding to the pesticide antidote and actually eating!

I went to her cage and she immediately heard her name and sensed my smell and hobbled to her feet and tried to climb into my lap.

Tears of joy slid down my face. If I had not witnessed this with my own eyes I would never have believed that a dog in the last stages of poisoning could actually recover. The symptoms of a poisoning are horrifying to witness and the pain excruciating to the animal.

Leela remained at the hospital overnight and I picked her up the next day.  24 hours later you would never have believed anything had even happened to her.

A true miracle!

Given a supply of antibiotics, liver support and gastro-intestinal ulcer prevention meds I drove Leela to the Care for Dogs shelter where she will remain for 2 weeks.

A close observation of a dog is needed after poisoning to make sure that she does not succumb to renal or kidney failure.

Leela will return to the temple after a full recovery.  What her future has in store remains to be seen as is the case for all dogs that live on the streets or temples of Thailand.

A quick visit to the temple to inform the monks of Leela’s miraculous recovery was met with smiles and cheers of “Leela, sabai dee”! I know that they were as surprised as I was and it was final proof that the emergency hotline really works.

What I have learned from this experience is the importance of getting an animal to a vet immediately once signs of poisoning are seen.  If any vomit or feces are present, take a sample along which will help the doctors determine the types of poisoning.  Also, continued interaction with the monks and continual care of the temple dogs does build a trust over time. Together we can make a difference!

Our sincere thanks to the staff at Care for Dogs and the doctors at N-do Animal Hospital for all you have done for Leela.

If anyone would like to provide a forever home for Leela, please contact Care for Dogs or Joy at 086-197 8398.