Monday morning’s as I drive to the shelter I often wonder what the list of cases will be that day.

As I arrive, Sarah typically gives me a hand written note, as if I was going to the shops for some groceries and begins to talk me through the list, telling me some more back ground about the individuals going to the vet that day.

Today was no exception and in between advising the dog caretakers on the finer points of some of their duties, answering the persistently ringing phone and making herself heard over and above the excitable residents, Sarah handed me the record cards for each of the dogs I was taking and told me a little more about each.

We loaded 4 dogs onto the back of my truck and put Sheena (More about her in another post) into the passenger seat of the other car, as she was to visit a specialist skin clinic being held today at another hospital than the one I was going to. We also very carefully maneuvered a seriously wounded dog from a road accident into the back of the car, using a blanket as a hammock type stretcher avoiding the painful cries and anxiety caused from any other attempts to pick her up.

At the veterinarian hospital, the first of the cases was Daeng Spa, who had broken front and back legs a month ago, pinned and splinted but now ready for freedom from all the confines of the plasters and bandages. Today, her cast was removed and apart from a slight rubbing wound, she is right as rain and walking on all 4 legs very well. She is such a lovely character, young, playful, affectionate, I dope she finds a home soon.

Next  up on the table was Max, one of those from the 14 in a box story. His ears have been a cause for concern. Fluffy and long, dark and moist, they have been sheltering infections and despite twice daily cleaning and appropriate medications,  the left ear is just a agony for him and is badly infected … way down in the canal.

After his last visit to the vet regarding this complaint, the guys at the shelter tried pinning his ears up without much success, only to aggravate him. So today, Max got a full head bandage job, this means that his head is completely wrapped in a bandage with just 2 holes for his ear (holes) to remain accessible.

Lets see what improvements that will make to the air and light circulation and at the same time giving ease of access to the canal. Problem is, he can be a real winger, moaning and sometimes cantankerous old dog, I know he is suffering discomfort but he wants everyone to know you are touching him and squeals constantly during any handling.

The 3rd dog along today to see the vet was Bella. She had a bad leg, which was removed a couple of weeks ago and also an eye which is totally whitened now and diagnosed with glaucoma.

As she is likely now to stay for the rest of her days at the shelter, due to her adoption chances being so low, we would like to get her sterilised so that she can mingle with all the dogs at any time, rather than needing to be kept segregated from those randy males!

After recent blood checks to verify she was strong enough to undergo this type of surgery, the veterinarian today agreed that she could now be sterilised. So she will stay in and have her op later today.

Another dog not returning home today, is Oreo. She has for sometime been suffering with a hernia, believed to be an Inguinal Hernia, that this week has increased in size and we are worried about what might be happening inside her groin.

Sadly, when she was sterilised a few months back, the surgeon tried to find the hernia but because it was so small, they could not locate the hole in the abdominal wall.

So she too will undergo an operation this afternoon to close the hole to stop the intestine from popping out.

Lastly it was the poor doggy from the road accident.

Cradled in the make shift hammock she showed no sign of pain but from the Xrays we had from another vet, taken 2 days ago near to where she had been found on the road side in Maejo, we could clearly see she was in a lot of pain when ever she moved.

Her hip and pelvic were badly broken, with various sharp edges and spaces between bones that should otherwise be supporting her leg in complete disarray. The vet made several suggestions about what type of operation could be done and it was decided that an operation to either remove the leg (to give the hip and pelvic a chance to heal) or to do a complex knitting with wires on the entire area were options but a decision would depend upon cost and the surgeons opinion.

This afternoon we received a call from the vet to advise that the surgeon would generously perform a complex procedure at a reduced price, as a gift and donation for the benefit of this dog life.

It’s days like these that make it all seem worth while.