High Blood Pressure? Pets Reduce Stress. Be Unique. Adopt

"Many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure or kidney failure. The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked. According to recent estimates, one in four U.S. adults has high blood pressure, but because there are no symptoms, nearly one-third of these people don't even know they have it. This is why high blood pressure is often called the "silent killer." Get the facts on high blood pressure and how to live a more heart-healthy life. Find out how you can reduce your risks for heart attack and stroke with proper monitoring by a physician and simple lifestyle changes, even if you have high blood pressure." Quoted from the American Heart Association Website. 

If you have high blood pressure, you should consider having a pet, such as a dog, or a cat. Some psychologists feel that having a pet can help lower blood pressure. In a study at the State University of New York at Buffalo, it was found that stockbrokers who suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure), could adopt a cat or a dog to lower their blood pressure. Doctors found that stress-induced blood pressure continued to rise in brokers with NO pets, even when they were treated with medication to lower their blood pressure. The brokers with pets also had a rise in blood pressure, but by not as much as the brokers without pets. Based on this study, researchers conclude that drugs do help lower blood pressure but having a pet helps in keeping stress-related increases in blood pressure in check. Some of the participants in the study went out and got a pet after they learned of the benefits. No one is really sure why this is true. Perhaps having someone you can count on by your side provides stress relief for those in stressful professions.

These dogs have cheated death and been given a second chance at life. Kind-hearted people have rescued them from the streets; abandoned, straying . . . .Had they not helped these dogs, the dogs may not have lasted long wandering aimlessly, roaming for days on end, scavenging for food, avoiding traffic. Would you consider adopting them and giving them a home that they deserve?

Read their stories and open your hearts and homes to them.

Look where Baby Chocolate was found! He was less than a month old when volunteers found him, eyes hardly opened. Had we not scooped him for the jaws of death, he would not have had the opportunity to grow up looking this cute! Chocolate grew up playing with kittens so its fine if you have cats in your home. Chocolate is intelligent and a fast learner. Now, all of 3 mths, he knows his basic commands and is paper trained. 

In the jaws of death



Hot Chocolate!

Name  :  Chocolate
Age  :  3 + mths

Sex  :  Male

Breed  :  Pure Mongrel

Not a HDB approved breed.

Chocolate has been vaccinated. To give Chocolate a home, please contact Hilda @ 91996662.

This little black Bear was found playing on the streets in a Tuas industrial estate, without a care in the world. Not having a home was the least of her worries. She spent her days playing with foreign workers in various factories, until she met Mr Sharpei. Bear would be an excellent dog for Agility - she is agile, intelligent and loves zooming around the garden. She also loves water! 

Bear when she was first rescued

The little black Bear today

Name  :  Bear

Age  :  5 + mths

Sex  :  Female

Breed  :  Pure Mongrel

Not a HDB approved breed, although she wont be very big. Garden trained.

Bear has been vaccinated and sterilized. To give Bear a home, please call 98343136 or email dogs_ink@singnet.com.sg 

Charlotte

                                                                              Claire

Charlotte and Claire were both found in a drain when they were less than 2 mths old. So hungry were they, volunteers found them drinking mud and eating pebbles. Anything that would fill their tiny stomachs.

Charlotte is an adventurous and feisty young lady who is bright and alert. Claire is more reserved and genteel. Both are pretty and socialize well with other dogs and humans. They are garden-trained. 

Name  :  Charlotte & Claire (can be adopted separately) 

Age  :  6 mths

Sex  :  Female

Breed  :  Pure Mongrel

Not a HDB approved breed.

Both Charlotte & Claire have been vaccinated, sterilized and micro-chipped. To give them a home, please contact Leng @ 96193208. 

Muffin was found wandering the streets of Bedok, trying to find her way home. When volunteers found her, she was tired, injured and hungry. They did the right thing by sending her to the vet for a check up. Read about Muffin here. 

Deliciously Muffin!

Name  :  Muffin

Age  :  7 - 8 yrs old

Sex  :  Female

Breed  :  Maltese

HDB approved breed. Paper trained. 

Muffin has been vaccinated, sterilized and micro-chipped. To give her a home, please contact Jeannie @ 91090475 or 94886419

We've got a Muffin and a Hot Chocolate to whet your appetite. Let your temptations go! Its perfectly fine to have more than one dog and we assure you that they are not the cause of your high blood pressure. 

Why didn't you slow down?

Did you not see me running across the road? Why didn’t you slow down? I was tired . . . .I was on heat . . . . there were so many male dogs chasing me, taking turns to mate with me. I had spent days on end, running, just to get away from them. It was painful and I was scared.

Male dogs taking turns to mount the black dog (Venus)

Carried onto the table for examination

I ran across the road to get away from the pack of at least 8 males dogs, taking their turns on me. I had not eaten for days because the minute I stood to walk, or the instance I stopped running, they were on me again. Didn’t you see me running across the road? I was terrified, tired and hungry.

Examined by Dr Carmelia

Your car hit me at a very high speed, causing my hip bone to be pushed out of its socket and I was dragged a few metres on the road. I expected you to slow down and help me or carry me to the side of the road, but instead, you drove off as if nothing happened. It was as if I felt no pain, had no feelings and that I was not hurt. The pain when you hit me was indescribable, didn’t you hear me cry out? After your car hit me, despite all the pain, I had to quickly drag myself up and run because I was afraid of being hit again, and I needed to get away from the many male dogs who were after me yet again. They had been after me for the past one week and I was exhausted.

Unable to stand even on her tiny frame

I dragged myself into the woods where I hid for many days, away from the cruel and frightening world. Despite the scorching sun and the cold rain, I was in too much pain to even move. I lost a lot of weight as every move I made sent excruciating pain through my weak body. I could not go to the bins to rummage for food, my hunger pangs worse than ever. I wondered if it was better that you had killed me when your car hit me, instead of hitting me at high speed and dragging my body on the rough hot road.

Abrasions all over her thin body

I suffered a miscarriage and lost my puppies shortly after you cruelly ran into me with your car. Perhaps it was better that way. Perhaps it was better that I didn’t have puppies and they didn’t come into this harsh world where humans didn’t think animals could feel pain and suffering.

After hiding for more than a week in the woods, I dragged myself back to the car workshop, where I was born. I rested in the workshop, safe, and away from the world outside, but when the workshop closed, I had to drag myself into the woods to hide again. I was afraid of the world, afraid of humans.

Assuring Venus she is finally in safe hands

By the volunteers
We saw two puppies, less than 2 months old, playing on the roads one weekend and we thought perhaps we could catch them and try to rehome them. Puppies generally have a better chance of finding a home.

The following weekend we went back to the same place with our pet carriers to try to catch the puppies. They were playing inside a car workshop. We asked the workers if we could take them but the workers said that their boss had wanted to keep and raise the puppies. So we provided them with a small bag of kibbles, some canned food and left. While walking to our car, a mechanic came over and told us that there was an injured dog that occasionally came to their workshop to rest in the afternoon. He said that the dog was bleeding and smelled really bad. We were concerned and asked him for the dog’s description. He told us that it was a black dog, with no tail. We immediately knew which dog he was referring to because we had been feeding her since she was a two month old puppy and we had actually not seen her for the past three weeks and our concerns were growing. In fact, in that last three weeks, we had gone to the workshops more often than usual, just to search for her as we were worried something might have happened to her.

We gave him our contact numbers and told him to call us if he saw her, no matter what time and we would rush down to take her to the Vet.

It was almost a week after we spoke, that he called, on a Monday night. We had just concluded our Dinner with your Dogs event and were in the midst of packing up. It was 10.30pm and the mechanic told us that the injured dog was in his workshop resting under a lorry. We told him to keep his eye on her, while we hurriedly packed and rushed down. Rosina, the animal communicator, was with us, as we were rushing to the workshop and did not have time to send her home.

A mass of bones

When we arrived, we saw the black dog resting under a lorry inside the workshop, blood flowing out of her anus, and we could see how emaciated she was. As we approached, she hobbled upstairs to the office, to run away from us. It was obvious she was familiar with the workshop as she knew exactly where to go. We told the worker to close the roller shutters at the entrance of the workshop, so that she could not escape. With a towel, a catch pole and a leash in hand, we had her cornered into a small area in the office where she could not escape. Obviously she was in great pain and fear.  Her natural instinct was to bite us, to protect herself. We took one and a half hours to calm her down, using our skills in animal communication, we told her we were there to help. Finally we managed to put the leash around her neck and carry her into the pet carrier. By then, it was past midnight and we had no choice but to take her to the A&E at Mt Pleasant.

Initially hiding under the lorry

Just arrived at the Vet

She was then examined by Dr Carmelia. X-ray of her hips were done, blood samples taken and she was immediately put on drip as she was a mass of skin and bones and terribly dehydrated. Her injury was estimated to be more than two weeks old as her hip bone had started to fuse back into the wrong position! Imagine having to live with so much pain in what would have seemed like living hell.

Dislocated hip bone

Dr Carmelia said she was hit on very high impact, pushing her hip bone out of its socket. She was a sorry sight as we recalled with sadness how she used to have a jet black coat and a friend had named her Venus, after the tennis player, Venus Williams. Today, lying on the examination table, we almost couldn’t recognize her – her skin was bad, she had many abrasions and grazes from being dragged on the road, her hip bone was dislocated, she suffered a miscarriage and she had scabies. How much worse could things be? And she was just over a year old.

Venus was warded for the night and the following day, transferred to Mt Pleasant (Redhill) where she remains in isolation for her scabies. Venus should have a surgery as soon as possible, to put her hip bone back into its socket but because of her scabies, Dr Ang and Dr Quek were concerned that if they operated on her, the scabies might enter and infect her internal organs. As such, her scabies has to be treated first and recovery takes almost 6 weeks. In the meantime, Venus needs to be walked and exercised daily, lest her leg muscles deteriorate and she loses the use of her limbs. If that happens, then amputation would be inevitable. However,  if she exercises daily, there is hope that her hind leg can be saved. She also needs to put on lots of weight as she weighs a mere 14 kg.

Finally getting a good night's rest and some relief

Venus needs to have someone care for her, give her short walks daily, provide her with healthy regular meals, as well as medicate her. It will be at least 6 weeks before she can undergo her hip surgery to put the joint back into place.

If you can, please offer your help to Venus – be it fostering, or helping with her vet bills. She is slightly more than a year old and has had so much hardship in this short frame of time. No living creature should live this way, to go through such pain and suffering; neither human nor animals. Please renew her faith in mankind.

Little Joe goes home

Volunteers discharged Little Joe from the vet and returned him to the factory on Sunday. He was very quiet on the way there and kept looking out of the windows. When volunteers turned into the lane he lived on, Little Joe immediately jumped up and was visibly excited - he knew he was home!

On the way home

The moment Little Joe got out of the car, he raced up and down the road as if he was doing an invisible obstacle course - he was lucky that it was Sunday and there were no other cars on the road! Little Joe proceeded to mark every single tree and lamp post, as if to let everyone know he was finally home.

Can't wait to get out of the car

The security Uncle came out and Little Joe jumped up on him with lots of excitement and happiness. Uncle patted him and commented that Little Joe had indeed put on some weight and that his wound had healed very nicely. Little Joe went for a walk by himself down the road while volunteers chatted with Uncle and updated him on Little Joe's condition. He willingly agreed to feed Little Joe his medications. Our team of volunteers really appreciate this man's kindness and hope to see more people like him.


As Little Joe needs to put on a lot more kilos, volunteers have provided Uncle with a carton of dog canned food and a carton of cat canned food. Volunteers will visit Little Joe regularly to ensure that he is healthy and well.

Little Joe needs to put on a few more kilos

Little Joe eating his beef and eggs cooked by volunteers

A friend, Pauline and her daughter, Yitian, contributed the outstanding $400 to Little Joe's vet bill - settling his bill in full. They also gave 2 big bags of dry cat food for Uncle to feed the 14 cats in his compound. A big thank you to Pauline and Yitian.

Donated cat food

Out of the 14 cats in Little Joe's factory compound, volunteers have brought 9 for sterilization and the remaining will be sterilized over the next month or so, when they are ready.

This is Little Joe's home. Under the lorry.

Thank you everyone for helping. Without your support and contribution, we would not have been able to help Little Joe.

Article put together by Jo-Ann.

Twist of Fate

On Monday evening, on one of our regular feeding rounds, we came across an emaciated dog. We had seen him a few times previously, and have always made an effort to feed him more, but this time he had a deep wound on his neck. He lived outside a factory and the night guard there cared for him. He told us that one night when he came to work, he had seen the wound but was not aware how the deep wound came about. He had been trying to medicate it with some “Chinese powder” but to no avail.

We immediately told him we would come back the following night to take the dog to the Vet.

The next night when we arrived with the carrier, the Uncle had kindly put the dog in his office earlier that day and kept him inside to ensure he would not escape. He helped carry the dog out. We named the dog Little Joe. Little Joe was very friendly and submissive. Little did we know how unwell he was.

Guard carrying Little Joe out

When we arrived at Mount Pleasant Animal Clinic (Redhill), we were attended to by Dr Lesley Teo. Dr Teo commented that Little Joe was extremely thin, that he was a real sweet boy and estimated him to be between 2 to 3 yrs old. He was given some food but he refused to eat. This was not a normal behavior of a street dog, who would usually gobble up as much as they can, not knowing when their next meal would be. Little Joe weighed a mere 13kg.

Little Joe's neck wound

Dr Teo examining Little Joe. Look how emaciated he is.

  

Dr Teo told us that she would let Little Joe rest for the night and clean his wound the following day. He had a lot of dead cells around the wound, and he needed a surgery to remove the dead cells and allow new cells to grow. She reckoned the wound was at least more than a week old. Of course, in the process of the surgery, Little Joe would also be sterilized, vaccinated and ear-tipped.

At 9pm, Dr Teo called to inform us that she had done a blood test on Little Joe – results revealed that the poor little dog had severe tick fever and needed a blood transfusion as soon as possible. Our hearts sank. That explained why he had a loss of appetite, pale gums and looked like a walking skeleton. His tick fever and blood transfusion took priority and we felt sad that this sweet little dog had suffered so much. Dr Teo mentioned that with his deep wound and his tick fever, it was a miracle that he was still alive.

Immediately the search started for a doggie blood donor. We needed a big, healthy dog to donate blood, and of course, we had to do tests to ensure the blood types matched as well. We asked around and yes, miracles DO happen. Sharpei, our sweetheart, is to be a future blood donor, but having lived on the streets for the past six months, he needed to be beefed up and was not ready yet. Then again, there was Sharpei’s “brother”, Rex. Sharpei’s present foster, Stephanie, has another dog, Rex, a five year Labrador. Rex gives true meaning to the words, BIG, STRONG AND FRIENDLY! We asked Stephanie and she gladly agreed to take half a day off from work to take Rex down to the Vet and have him tested to see if his blood type matched. And the greatest miracle of all, it matched perfectly! Some call it coincidence, some call it fate. We say God works in wonderful ways. He had sent Sharpei to a foster home that had a sweet Lab who would then be a life saver to a street dog who came from the same industrial estate as Sharpei!

Rex the saviour

Dr Teo proceeded to draw a bag of blood from Rex. Rex was very relaxed and while blood was being drawn, Little Joe looked at Rex with such gratitude in his eyes, for saving his life.

Looking for Rex's vein

The gift of life

Little Joe becoming a mongrel x Lab with Rex's blood

Right after having his blood drawn, Rex was rewarded with food! His favourite! Bet Rex would love to donate and help more dogs knowing there was food at the end of it all. Rex was tough and after his food, he was back to his usual self, running around the clinic, while Dr Teo then started on the process of transferring the blood to Little Joe.

Rex's favourite part of the deal

We know street dogs are tough and hardy animals and over the years of rescuing street animals, we have often seen their will to live. Little Joe was no different; all they need is that little help and love and they blossom. Within a few hours of his blood transfusion, Little Joe was perkier and he finished all his food. Food was brought to him by little Sara and her mommy Lynette. His gums were pink, he was wagging his tail and there was HOPE in his eyes!

Dr Teo will wait for Little Joe’s condition to stabilize before she performs a surgery on him to remove the dead cells from his neck wound.

The neck wound after it has been cleaned

We believe he will recover very quickly and will soon be ready to head home to his factory, where the Uncle awaits his return.

Often we think, isn’t it sad that these street dogs have to be hurt, injured or sick before a human shows them love and attention? Had he not have had the neck wound, we would never have known how sick he was and he would not have received the medical attention he badly needed. We would just have thought he was submissive and timid and didn’t get to eat. However, because of the deep neck wound, we took him to the Vet and in the process, saved him from a slow death.

Little Joe receiving blood

We will keep you updated on Little Joe’s progress and he will be staying at the Vet for a few days. When his wounds have healed and he has put on some weight, we will then take him back to his factory. All he needed was some love and care to turn his life around. If you would like to make that difference in Little Joe’s life as well, please send us an email and show Little Joe you care too.

For an update on Little Joe pls click Update on Sharpei and Little Joe

Have you signed up for our animal communication workshops yet?

Our August classes are almost full, but we still have some places available for the Level 1 workshop on the weekend of Sept 4 and 5.

Article featured in Club Pets Magazine, June 2010

Should you have any queries, please feel free to email us at dogstalk@starhub.net.sg

Source: My Paper, 3 August 2010

Also available online http://www.mypaper.com.sg/

These animal communication workshops are open to the public and you don't require any prior knowledge or training. Anyone can learn this skill. Like everything else, practice makes perfect.

To find out more about animal communication, please click here.

How tough can life get?

Pardon us for this long story but we assure you, it is worth the read.

Sharpei was spotted on the streets in an industrial estate in December 2009. He could have been abandoned as he was extremely lost and confused being on the streets. He was very wary of dogs and humans and avoided everyone. He was a loner. If he was eating and another dog approached, he would leave his food and walk off, even if that meant that he forego his only decent meal of the week.

Waiting at the bus stop

Life as an abandoned dog

Sharpei spent his days sleeping at bus stops or under trailers. It took volunteers more than six months to gain his trust, but they never gave up, feeding him three times a week and befriending him. Finally, these volunteers' persistence paid off; they managed to catch him and he was temporarily housed in a friends' factory until they were able to find a foster. Outside the factory lived a black 3-month old female pup. Volunteers named her Bear and housed her in the same factory as Sharpei. Little Bear and Sharpei instantly became fast friends. Big brother Sharpei was very loving towards Bear and protected her from dogs who played rough with her. It was the first time he had a friend.

Just rescued and safe at the factory, but he was sad and afraid

Housed together at the factory with the little Bear

Two days after he was rescued. Look at the difference is his eyes and body language

Sharpei playing dead and refusing to have his very first bath

Sharpei and Bear playing outside the factory, before leaving for the vet

 He's my big brother

Looking out for each other

Playing rough with my big brother

Oops! Think I played too rough!

Last Sunday, both Sharpei and Bear had their first shower and were taken to Mt Pleasant Clinic (Redhill) to be checked by Dr Ang. It was Bear’s very first car ride. Both were microchipped, vaccinated and Sharpei was tested for heartworm. He was given a clean bill of health and Dr Ang estimated him to be between 2-3 years old. Having lived on the streets as an abandoned dog for more than half a year, Sharpei was thin, his bones protruded and he looked older than he actually was. Sharpei has the sweetest temperament and because he also had the build, volunteers decided he could be a future blood donor, given his good health. He just needed to be beefed up.

 Sharpei all excited to go to the vet

 Little Bear being examined by Dr Ang

 Sharpei being microchipped

That's my little nuisance 

Volunteers took both dogs out for the day and it was the first time in their lives they had human company, love and pats. They were happy dogs. When they went back to the factory in the evening, both were fed with brown rice with boiled chicken and eggs - Sharpei's favourite. The volunteers left late at night and both dogs were exhausted from their very first outing. It had been a long, fun day.

It had been a week since Sharpei’s rescue from the streets and volunteers took turns to go to the factory nightly after work to feed Sharpei and Bear. The day after their outing, volunteers went to feed them after work and panicked when Sharpei did not respond when called. Workers said they saw him inside the compound before locking the gates for the day. They called out for him and saw him walking down the lane outside the factory, wobbling and limping. It was 8pm and as he approached them, volunteers got a shock of their lives when they saw Sharpei. His face and ears were bleeding very badly and his right eye was swollen. The flesh below his left eye was ripped off and dangling. Poor Sharpei was relieved to see the volunteers and he put his head on their lap, faint from shock and trauma.

A badly injured Sharpei  (Picture taken from Hp)

It was an emergency and Sharpei needed immediate medical attention. These volunteers who intended to feed him and Little Bear their favourite dinner immediately called Mt Pleasant (Sunset Way) to ask them to hold on and not close for the day. Volunteers quite literally flew Sharpei to the vet, leaving Bear behind. Sharpei collapsed in the back seat of the car, his face bleeding onto the towels and his body shaking uncontrollably. Sharpei arrived at the vet at around 8.30pm and was carried in. Dr Ang tended to him and checked his entire body for wounds. They initially thought that he was hit by an oncoming car but when they shaved fur off, at least 15 puncture wounds could be seen on his face, ears, neck, arms and legs. The most serious injury was the gaping wound on his face. Fortunately, Sharpei's vision was unaffected; thanks to all the folds on his face.

Stitches running down his cheek

He was sedated and his wounds were cleaned. He was also put on drip to stabilize his condition as he was still in shock. The volunteers left the clinic and headed back to the factory to feed Bear. Little Bear was very sad and down, sitting at the gate awaiting Sharpei's return. She knew something was amiss. She quietly ate her food then went back to the gate, waiting for her best friend to return. The volunteers' hearts went out to little Bear and promised her that Sharpei would be back in no time.

The following day we called the Vet to check on Sharpei. His condition had stabilized and he would be operated on. The flesh under his right eye had to be cut off and the gaping hole stitched up. It won’t be easy as his face is very wrinkly.

Puncture wounds on his face, ears and neck

More puncture wounds

Visiting Sharpei at the vet

Volunteers will visit Sharpei nightly to bring him his favourite chicken and rice. They hope he cheers up and gets well soon because little puppy Bear misses him.

Sharpei has to stay at the vet for a few days. Volunteers will also check on Bear to make sure she is not too sad or lonely.

Poor Sharpei will be at Mt Pleasant (Sunset Way) for a day or two and if you would like to visit him, please let us know. You may send a text message to 91996247  . If you wish to contribute to Sharpei's medical bills, do let us know as well. We would greatly appreciate your generosity.

Volunteers are wondering - had Sharpei scaled the 5-ft tall factory fence to escape and look for them, the people he has grown to love and trust deeply? Or might he have almost risked his life for Bear, his little best friend? We will never know why he scaled the tall fence to get outside, nor why he got so badly injured but perhaps an animal communicator might be able to enlighten us. Volunteers will also go back to the factory to look around for the dog that might have attacked Sharpei, perhaps he may need medical help too.

Sharpei and Bear are looking for a real home, a family that will adopt them together and love both of them. They mean the world to each other.

Sad and lonely Bear awaiting her big brother's return

Article contributed by our young volunteer, Jo.

For an update on Sharpet pls visit Update on Sharpei and Little Joe