Not giving fair treatment to your pets

Warning 

The photographs below contain contents that is graphically disturbing, viewer's discretion is advised.

By Mark Tan

You have been seeing many happy pictures of Noah’s Ark.  It is time that we bring you behind the scene - a very sad one for this dog…

Very often we wish to bid the sanctuary good night after a hard day’s work and head out for a nice, happy, reasonable, and a good dinner in JB but some nights are just not meant to work the way we will it.

Last Sunday was one of those nights.  The case of a rotting Bulldog was brought to Ah Bee, our volunteer/pet transporter’s attention and without hesitation, he brought the Bulldog to Noah’s Ark ABC Clinic.

There was a huge tear on his left ear.  While checking on how severe the tear was, about 8 maggots crawled out.  A closer check, we found at least another 20 maggots in its badly infected ear canal.

A hole was spotted on the fold of his muzzle while Lee our Clinic Assistant was removing the maggots from its ear.  A further check revealed about 16 maggots infested holes on various parts of the poor Bulldog’s skin. The maggots have traveled beneath his skin, drilling through his flesh.

Further probes revealed that it all started with a dog fight.  The owner owns a few other dogs, and clearly in this case, the Bulldog wasn’t particularly the favourite in the pack.  His fight wounds were left to “self-heal”, which, in our Asian weather, is a near impossible process.

The open wounds were the perfect nesting place for houseflies.  When left untreated, the maggots literally eat through the dog, killing it eventually.

With the help of Lee and Alice, we managed to pull out all the visible maggots and cleaned up the holes.

The saddest part of it all?  The owner was not willing to spend more than RM300 (no, you didn't read me wrong.  THREE HUNDRED RINGGIT) for the dog's treatment.

With a case of neglect to this extent, how can one be spared a harsh reprimand by our founder, Raymund?

Let’s make this a lesson and not to repeat the same mistake by buying or adopting more than we can manage.  A pet is a lifelong commitment.  They need our time and effort to maintain them, apart from loads of TLC (tender loving care).

Ok - actually the saddest part was our dinner...  The stench of rotting flesh and rotting maggots lingered in our nostrils while we tried our best to enjoy a nice Chong Qing Steamboat at Bukit Indah.

Reflection of my life

By Raymund Wee

As a Caregiver of Noah's Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary.

Although running the sanctuary took its toll physically, emotionally, mentally, and financially, after all these 20 years.  The Spiritual aspect is there if you look for it. With great empathy and a desire to make a difference I left my airline job of 18 years in 1988 to become a full-time advocator of Animal Welfare.

This is not just a personal issue to be dealt with only within the confines of the sanctuary, but rather a community outreach issue that must be addressed.  Today a lot of things are the same, but the rampant changes have changed through our social media, the internet, but I didn’t have a perspective as to what's important in life.

I have about the choices I've made.  I want to make sure that my priorities are the ones I'd want to have, rather than ones someone else thinks I ought to have. In daily life, we must see that it is not HAPPINESS that makes us grateful, but GRATEFULNESS that makes us happy.  It's the power of UNCONDITIONAL LOVE to widen the path and light the way.  So many powerful, positive things have come out of this experience, it's rate to think back now about how bad it was during the Noah's Ark saga in 2000 with the Exodus of animals.

Some people never understand what their gifts are and how to use them.  But everything in life happens for a reason.  I didn't believe that the move to Johor happened for nothing, but it was for me to figure it out.

I was judgemental, impatient, and held flimsy interpretation of life.  Now I listen to the problems of others, "What can I do to help the animals through humans and their caregivers."  My life has changed irrevocably and upward for joy because of what I went through not forgetting the forces of supporters after all these 20 years.

As much as we want only happiness as kids and teens, that's terrific, but unless you've suffered in your life you really don't know.

I pray for the wisdom to deal with changes and that people will RESPECT nature and all creatures great and small.