In September 2019, a lady at the market in Bang Saphan, a small, coastal city in Central Thailand, contacted our outreach coordinator at Headrock Dogs Rescue, reporting a dog she had seen in terrible condition. 

It was not easy for the team to catch the poor dog, he was in so much pain and given that he had been attacked by other dogs, he was very frighted. He had deep bite wounds up and down his legs. We were simply shocked at the condition of the dog.  It was obvious that he had been like this for many weeks. He suffered from severe mange and secondary skin infection.  His feet, legs, and face were horribly swollen. He was in immense pain. Someone must have tried to treat him at some point, given the purple spray which is often used as a treatment for skin issues in Thailand, but obviously this didn’t work.

Whitey is now recovering at the rescue center where he is getting the treatment he so desperately needs. We are confident that with love, care, and time, he will make a full recovery and become a happy, beautiful young dog.

This rescue is part of Saving Thailand’s Forgotten Dogs Program.

Whitey initially needed emergency care of fluids and pain medication. We started the treatment with a medicated bath twice a weekly to soothe his skin and get rid of the crusting, gave him antibiotics, and medication for mange mites. His deep bite wounds also required daily flushing.

Whitey is doing so much better. He is still on intensive care for his skin: daily antibiotics, weekly medicated baths, and other medication to treat a potential mite infection. His skin is a lot less inflamed, decreased crusting, and he is definitely more comfortable. The bite wounds on the back of his legs are healing, and he has a lot of energy, running and playing (which makes getting photos of him quick difficult).

Despite the progress made, we suspect that he will require long term care as his skin disease, which is probably the result of severe allergies (atopic dermatitis).  So his recovery will be prolonged, and he might always have some degree of hairless. He also still needs to be neutered.

Dumping dogs in territories unfamiliar to a dog can be a death sentence for them.  Street dogs are highly territorial, particularly when there is limited food resources, and it isn’t surprising that Whitey was badly attacked by other dogs in that neighborhood.  Dogs will often also attack others that they perceive to be sick and injured. The location of the bite wounds (back of legs) indicates that he was running away when it happened. Whitey was so lucky that he was able to make it to the market where a lady called for help.” Dr Katherine Polak, Head of Stray Animal Care – Southeast Asia at Four Paws.

Source: Four Paws