No no not Craig David but David, the cute looking guy we have at the shelter right now.

This poor guy has been through the wars and still he suffers misery daily.

Today there were 6 dogs in the car, 4 in the front & 2, including David in the back. The whole point of the title of this post and the crush in the front, is because David, bless him, is having a terrible time with his bum.

First up on the vets table were Alan & Jacky, 2 little Shih Tzu’s who were found in an abandoned house in a terrible state.

They were almost void of hair, very thin, nails overgrown, anaemic and suffering with their eyes and Jacky wasn’t looking too good with her severe under bite but that’s just a deformity she will live with.

Today we were doing a test to see if their skin condition was cured.

Previously they were both suffering with Sarcoptic mange and needed intensive treatment to overcome that and today was great news to learn they have the ‘all clear’.

Their blood has also improved with supplements, and regular meals and so too their eyes.

But unfortunately, due to the original chronic condition, both dogs still have residual corneal ulcers in both eyes and with drops, over a longer period, their dry eye condition will improve.

Next to be examined by Dr Beer was Macha (looks nothing like Paul Macartney??) who has developed a lump on the back of her neck, Macha, not Paul!

The vet palpated the lump & diagnosed a Dermoid Cyst.

She suggested we have it surgically removed as it had a root stem structure below the main lump and this could develop more cysts or make this one larger.

Poor girl, she is a real sweetie, we will put her on the next surgical run and nip the growth in the bud, or so to speak.

While you look at this photo, please spare a moment to consider the efforts of Otto Berchem who along with other artists, is travelling the world to raise awareness about AIDS. Macha is proudly wearing a new collar donated to hundreds of homeless dogs during his visit to Chiang Mai last November. Thanks again Otto.

Porky was next, she has signs of hair loss and we needed to find out why.

Firstly we discovered 3 skin punctures, bite wounds which were cleaned up.

But the microscope test showed no mange, no fungus, just a high level of bacteria. Every skin has bacteria, errrrr I hear you say but apparently we need it to remain healthy. Porky however, has an abnormal amount of it!

So it’s medicated showers for Porky starting this afternoon!

Also at the vet clinic today (as spectators, not for examination) were new volunteers Sibil & Kelly from Switzerland & Canada respectively.

Intrigued by the information on this website, they individually contacted us and arranged a stay in Chiang Mai, so they could come & help at the shelter in Hang Dong.

Kelly shared the front seat with the 4 smaller dogs on the way out of town and Sibil rode her rented motorbike.

So the word is out there ! Just drop us an email and tell us when you are planning to visit Chiang Mai, bring some spare clothes and take some time out of a busy life style & give yourself a treat, volunteer with Care for Dogs and reap rewards that so many people have experienced. Read what some of them have to say about their experiences here …

Fritzy who was at the vet last week, came along (in the back with David, sorry Fritzy baby) for a recheck on his eyes & back leg.

After a week’s 2 – 3 times a day eye drop treatment and taking some pain relief meds, we needed to see if his back leg limp had improved.

It had not and after further manipulation of his ankle and elbow (human terms), the vet suggested it could be a damaged Achilles Heel or Hock, causing him to limp and not put too much weight on that leg. Fritzy is a heavy dog (I should know after lifting in & out of the car !) and if he has had an accident of some sort, this could indeed be giving him discomfort.

We will continue the meds and keep an eye on him.

Regarding his eye’s, he is still blind but at least they are not so inflamed, so the daily drop regime is certainly working.

So last up was David.

Now, unfortunately I cannot give you all the details from start to finish on this case out of respect to the stomach of the general readership so I will try to give you a synopsis.

David came to us about a month ago after being found with a rectal prolapse. Essentially this means that the inside of his bottom was hanging outside of his body. There was dying tissue and wildlife inhabiting the exposed flesh. He was obviously in agony.

After immediate surgery to put it all back inside, he hasn’t stopped screaming every time he poo’s and the poo is very runny. Besides which, it is eye wateringly smelly and toe curling painful for anyone who witnesses it.

So as you can imagine, sharing a small space with David can be hazardous and when you get him excited, you need to take responsibility for the effect.

Today, after a further test of his poo under the microscope and an xray to investigate his intestine, the vet could not diagnose exactly what the underlying problem could be.

Apart from an extremely damaged sphincter / anal region in terms of nerves and control and that David may well of had this chronic condition for a long time, the vet believes that an infection of the tissue previously exposed may be causing him this pain and discomfort.

But who knows, like so many cases we see, what happened to this guy before we met him? We will never know. What caused the prolapse, what came first…? Chicken or Egg?

We are going to try feeding him more roughage in his diet to see if that effects the condition, like a fellow volunteer is doing with her dog that suffers from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

Tomorrow he will get steamed pumpkin with chicken & rice. Now that sounds mouthwateringly delicious.