My Pet Story: Diary of a rescue pup

Transformed: Tesha is a healthy and happy dog today, thanks to much love and care from her rescuer, Joey Low. Photo taken on Feb 22, 2022. — Photos: Joey Low

MY PET STORY

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On Aug 24 last year, a puppy was spotted at the USJ Subang LRT station. She was just skin and bones, and unable to walk, said a facebook post. When I read that, my heart sank. I was unable to sleep that night, thinking how much pain the puppy must be in.

The next day, I decided to pick this puppy up, give her a second chance at life, and try my very best to give her whatever I could afford.

When I brought her home, she wouldn’t let me touch her at first. So I slowly put a towel around her to keep her warm. Her skin was very sticky – it was lightly coated with a layer of engine oil – and her paws were injured, with bleeding wounds.

Below are my journal entries:

Day 1–10 (Aug 24 - Sept 2, 2021): I take her to the vet, carrying her in my arms all the way there and back. When we get home, she vomits repeatedly and has diarrhoea, and does not want to drink water at all. The whole house is in a mess; I wipe and wipe the floor while keeping an eye on her condition. I feel very stressed and super tired. Tesha has difficulty sleeping, and awakes at every little sound she hears. I put on some soft music so that she sleeps better.

When Tesha was first rescued by Joey Low, she was all skin and bones, and in very bad shape.

I do some reading and research, and together with the support of dog lovers, I learn about some natural remedies/ treatments to help Tesha recover. Every two days, I feed her with fresh coconut water. She also has steamed fish plus some fruits daily, for a healthy and clean diet.

A lot of people on facebook are concerned about Tesha, so I create a fb page for her on Sept 1, 2021.

Day 11 (Sept 3): More challenges. Tesha has two big infected lymph nodes in her groin. The vet said this could be due to the bad and dirty conditions Tesha was living in previously. It's too bad she cannot have her second vaccination until the lymph nodes get smaller and better.

Every night, without fail, I carry Tesha in my arms like a baby and pat her till she sleeps. Hopefully, she will fall sleep more easily and find relief from the pain in her body.

Day 12-16 (Sept 4-8): Tesha’s skin has cleared up quite a lot, and the small polyps with pus all over her body are gone. They supposedly cause a lot of discomfort and itchiness. I continue treating her with natural remedies, letting her eat fish daily and having a clean diet. After each treatment, which contains turmeric, I wrap her in a kid's shirt so that the floor tiles won't get stained.

Day 17-20 (Sept 9-12): When we have good weather in the evenings, with Tesha's paw wounds recovering, she is now able and willing to walk slowly on the grass.

On Sept 21, 2021, about a month after being rescued and adopted by Joey Low, Tesha is willing to try and walk albeit very slowly.

For almost two weeks, some people staying nearby who see me carry Tesha would ask, “Why is your dog so dirty?" It pains me to hear that. In fact, she is not dirty; she is very clean. She just needs time for all the skin conditions and wounds to heal.

Tesha is a bit more stable now, and it's time to get her a small bed and train her to sleep more independently. When I post this up on fb, someone from the dog lovers' community messages me to offer to sponsor Tesha’s bed. Even a groomer offers her service to support Tesha; she drops by my house to tidy up Tesha’s fur and nails. I am really touched by all their kindness.

Day 21–29 (Sept 13-21): Tesha is getting cheekier and more playful, even as her recovery speeds up. It is the mooncake festival month so I get a small doggie mooncake for her to try. I feed it to her bit by bit, and she seems to like it.

Tesha continues with her follow-up visits to the vet's. On one of our trips there, she sings while we're in the car! I am so excited and happy to hear her being so vocal for the first time! At the vet's, Tesha is very self-protective and uncooperative. I can understand why she behaves like this, as she was bullied previously, so she learnt to be tough. She needs a lot of time and patience.

Tesha is not able to get her second vaccination and needs to be observed for another three weeks to make sure her lymph nodes are OK. Though I am tired of hearing this, I cannot give up on Tesha. We will come back to the vet's after three weeks.

Day 30 (first "month-sary"): Time flies! I've adopted Tesha for a month already. Tesha really fills my life with colour! She has changed my life completely, and taught me a lot through the ups and downs, rushing to the vet's, repeated wiping, sanitising and daily treatments, cooking, lots of washing, feeding – as well as worry, happiness, super tiredness.

Tesha is able to walk, become more independent, her skin has recovered by more than 50%, she has no more diarrhoea or vomiting, is able to drink water and has a good appetite, and able to sleep well. Such blessings!

Day 38–48 (Sept 30-Oct 10)

Tesha is able to walk faster and is, in fact, running. I have started to leash Tesha instead of carrying her. She sometimes "walks" on her belly, but otherwise she walks confidently with her tail upright. I have started to train her by giving her some simple instructions – and she obeys. I feel so proud of her. Keep going, little Tesha! Also, her teeth are starting to change, and I catch her chewing a tooth that has dropped.

In this photo taken on Nov 21, 2021, Tesha is on the road to recovery. Her 'mama' gives her some basic training to strengthen her.

Day 49 (Oct 11)

Tesha is finally able to proceed with her vaccination after her lymph nodes recovered. And she needs to be dewormed for the third time.

Little Tesha continues with all the routines. She is now grown up with a beautiful body, long legs and shiny fur.

Day 183 (Feb 24, 2022)

Tesha is almost one year old. She has been spotted by, and gotten a lot of attention and support from, the dog lovers community.

Tesha has fully recovered and blossomed into a lovely dog. She is still on a healthy diet every day.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you from the bottom of my heart to all members of the Dog Lovers Of Malaysia group who have been so supportive, extending their help and sharing their valuable knowledge throughout my journey of rescuing and raising Tesha. Also thank you to Malaysians who wrote to me and sponsored some goodies which have helped Tesha on her process of recovery.

Transformed: Tesha is a healthy and happy dog today, thanks to much love and care from her rescuer, Joey Low. Photo taken on Feb 22, 2022. — Photos: Joey Low

Malaysia is a lovely country with a lot of kind people. I hope everyone will extend their support to all the stray animals by giving them food, shelter and love.

Follow Tesha's story on Facebook: Tesha88.