Can Chris' Leg Be Saved?

Ever tried walking barefooted on the hot asphalt road in the afternoon? Scorching isn’t it? Little Chris was found just there, amidst trash and wood pieces, while we were driving along some parked trailers. We would definitely have missed him, if it wasn’t for a passenger on board, or if there was a trailer still parked at that spot.

Note: The above location is exactly where Chris was found

but this picture was not taken at the point of rescue.

We did not know how Chris ended up there – was he dumped there due to his injury, or did he slowly move himself to where we found him. We also found it weird initially as to why he was just lying there on the ground. Our first thoughts upon spotting him were that he was no longer alive. At least remove his body we thought. But as we made another turn to check him out and stepped out of the car, we heard very faint whimpering. We concluded he must be dehydrated given the blazing weather.

We moved towards Chris, and flipped him over on his back wanting to carry him up. What we saw was extremely off-putting. Chris had a big and deep hole on his right front leg, with lots of maggots feeding on the wound. His leg was already horribly swollen, and we hurriedly scooped him up with a towel. One of us checked the surroundings and drain nearby but could not spot any other puppies. We rushed him to a friend’s place nearby first to give him some water. Surprisingly, Chris still managed a faint smile as if he knew he was in safe hands and would be receiving medical help soonest.

 

Once at the clinic, the vet immediately attended to Chris to clean his wound and put him on a drip. Chris was estimated to be a mere five weeks old, and whether his leg could be saved or not the vet was unable to advice at that point of time. The vet lightly pinched the paw on his affected leg but there was no response. We were very concerned as we knew this might mean an amputation in the worst case scenario but it would definitely take place at a much later stage if need be. Meanwhile, Chris was left at the vet.

We are appealing for a fosterer or adopter for Chris when he has recovered – this might seem a bit too early for now but as we do not have a shelter locally to hold our rescued dogs, we are always in need of fosterers. Additionally, we really appreciate any bit of contribution to Chris’ medical bills as the rescues have been pouring in but nonetheless, we will not deny medical treatment to any sick or injured stray we come across as long as we are able to get hold of them. Do email us at noahsarkcares@gmail.com if you are able to help in any way. Thank you.