Who Would Do This To Zachary?

     The call is made and I hear the voice on the other end…can you meet me in half an hour?  When we meet we begin to do what needs to be done. 

He was wandering in this condition for who knows how long until he was spotted by two of our volunteers. 
  Where did he come from?  Who tied the rope around his neck?  By the size of the loop, the rope had been tied when he was considerably smaller and younger.  As he grew, the rope began to cut into his throat. About one to  two years old, he is very thin and half the weight he should be.  He is covered in prickly burrs.  

   

   Our first step was to carefully cut the rope. We could smell the infection and rotting flesh.  I begin to cut away the fur and burrs in that area and used an antiseptic to moisten and clean the wound. We were not surprised to see that maggots had infested the deep gash the rope had left behind. Once the rope was removed we began to work on his body to cut away the burrs. There was not a spot from the neck down that didn’t have a burr.  The burrs were difficult to handle with our fingers; sitting or lying down would have been exceptionally painful for this little guy.  The torment he must have been through!  He was so accustomed to living in pain that he did not flinch while we slowly worked on him.  First the rope, then the burrs cutting them loose on one side then turning him over …gently pulling and snipping around each burr until they were all gone.  

    

 Once all the burrs were removed I returned to his throat.  I  gently cut away the fur and dead skin from around the wound, then disinfected and cleaned it from all of the maggots.  I wondered how he was experiencing the relief we were giving him. I covered the exposed wound appropriately with gauze, then he drank, he ate, and he slept.  We are going to take him to the vet tomorrow and he will get all he needs.  From here, he is on the road to recovery. 

The pile of burrs we cut from his fur. It was almost half the size of his body.

  We are never going to find out who did this to him, how long he was wandering and how many people saw him and did nothing.  He has already shown his appreciation.  When I went to check on him a few hours later he was still sleeping on the blanket where we had left him. It was probably the most peaceful and painless sleep he had in a very long time. Once he saw me, however, he jumped up and after a “hello” and a hug, he didn’t leave my side as I walked around.  He is in one of our safe havens for the time being.   

We have named him Zachary. 

  

Once he gets better he needs a home.  Please share and if you would like to send a donation to help with Zachary's recovery or to help us keep doing what we do - through paypal at tinakanellos2@hotmail.com, note Zachary. 

Thank you,

For The Strays

We will update soon. 

November 27th, 2014

  Zachary was seen by our bet yesterday. In just one day of antibiotics, food and rest his wounds are noticably better. Our vet confirmed that Zachary is between two to three years old.  This makes us wonder about the rope around his neck.  The truth is that it doesn't really matter any more because he is free from his noose and in good care.  He is a real darling!

December 7th, 2014

  It has been almost two weeks since he was found ...  Zachary is doing very well.  He has put on weight and the wound around his neck has all but healed.  A little reddness remains but soon new fur will grow and there will be no sign of his ordeal.

  Let me tell you a little about him.  Sweet, gentle and adorable aren't enough to cover the extent of his character.  Despite what has happened to him he has a deep human connection. It just blows my mind, on the one hand, the type of people who are out there who would do this to a tiny dog and on the other so many who saw him roaming and who did not stop.  We found out since his rescue that he was seen by others wandering in his condition; in one case on a dangerous highway and no one stopped.  Fortunately it is all behind him.  We are the lucky ones to have him with us.  Once he is completely healed I know there will be an even luckier family out there to adopt him. If you are the one please write to me at tinakan2@gmail.com. 

Thank you
K.K.

p.s. Thank you to one of our readers who made a small donation to help with Zacharies care.



January 16th/2015 

     We thought it would be easy for Zachary to recover after he was found. The kind of wounds he had heal quickly with the proper care.  However,  the damage done by the rope has left him with greater issues.  During Zach’s initial vet visit we noticed a tiny swelling under his chin that we hoped would go away with the antibiotics he was to take.  Contrary to our hopes, the swelling got bigger even though his other wounds completely healed.  When our vet examined him again, he realized that Zachary has sialocele.  A condition where there is an accumulation of saliva outside the normal salivary gland usually caused by trauma.  In the attempt to avoid surgery he was put on an anti-inflammatory and antibiotics for 15 more days and the sack was drained. The results were not positive as the swelling developed once again and this time more so. Our last resort is surgery.  Left untreated the sac may become so big where breathing, swallowing and eating may become difficult.

    We need your help to help Zachary! His operation will cost 200 euros and for us this is an amount beyond our means.  If all of our friends chip in with a small amount we believe we can get Zachary his operation.  It is already affecting his eating.  He is so tiny that even a small swelling is a burden for him. We need to book his surgery as soon as possible and help him.  We want to show him that not all humans are like the people who abused him.   Please help now!   

See Zachary in his video.

January 21st.  2015

   We are so happy that Zachary had his needed operation last week.  Everything went well and he is on the mend.  He had a small drainage tube inserted for a few days and yesterday it was removed.  His appetite is back and his tail is wagging. 

January 29th, 2015

   Zachary had his stitches taken out.  He was excellent as usual!

    He is apparently doing much better.  We will give him time to recuperate fully and hope that the problem does not return. 

  Oh gosh, Zachary...you are so adorable!!

  Help us reach more people and share his story.  Awareness is the most important key to change.

Thank you
K.K.












April 23rd, 2015

       A BITTER TURN!

    

     After Zachary’ operation for the sialocele, he recovered very well and there were no complications.  It took about a month for him to heal completely but all went well.  We noticed during this period that the little limp he had in one of his hind legs started to become more pronounced.  There were days that he did not use the leg at all and he seemed very stiff.  Our vet had taken an x-ray when we had first brought Zachary to him; although it was not very clear there did not appear to be any serious problems.  Under the circumstances however, we needed to do another x-ray.  Money is always an issue and we were waiting to get a little money put aside to continue with Zachary’s care.  He had remained all this time in a holding area at the home of one of our volunteers.  We were working on the issues that needed to make Zachary better so that he could be put up for adoption.  During this time there were days that I would bring him with me on my rounds.  He met and spent time with the rescues at the other safe havens and all of dogs accepted little Zachary.  He has a kind of energy that other dogs immediately take to and despite his tiny size he fits in just fine.  When I picked him up he was so happy to get going…full of excitement and energy.

   

   Just over a month ago, one of our supporters, Rineke van der Waal, founder of Gaia Dogs had come to us for a visit.  While she was here we stopped in to see Zachary, whom she had already heard about.  Once she saw him she wanted to help him move on as soon as possible. When the visit was over, we immediatley went to work to get the necessary tests done in order to prepare for his adoption;  first, Leishmania and Erlichia.  To our disappointment Zachary came up positive for Leishmania.  With the Leishmania diagnosis we moved on to a blood test for his liver and kidneys; our vets were shocked by the results.  It did not look good at all and they were surprised that Zachary appeared so healthy on the outside.  After all the tests were done our vets believe that he has leukemia and that he won’t live very long! We were blown away!!

 This is, however, where true animal lovers step up to the plate.  I informed Rineke about all the bad news with respect to Zachary.  Her response moved me …. “That is okay, we will take him.”  She wanted him to get out of the holding area and into a good home for what ever time he has!

     After the Leismania diagnosis, I had already brought Zachary home.  I didn’t want him up in the holding area any longer alone.  Although things are very tight at home with 9 dogs and five cats, Zachary deserved a home type environment   Once he started to live with us, I could see how sick he really was.  He spends most of the day sleeping.  He loves car rides and spends time with all the other dogs. During those moments he is full of energy and very excited but he tires easily and wants to go back to his bed.  I have decided after all I have been through with Zachary, that I want to be with him until the end.  He has his spot in my pack and a huge part of my heart.  I will stand by him and he will stay with me as long as it takes and behind us I know that Rineke and Gaia dogs are also there. I want to thank Rineke because if she hadn’t wanted to get things moving faster with Zachary we would have not found out about his condition until perhaps it would be too late to give him a great ending.  My vet explains that he could take a turn as soon as tomorrow.  One day his body will start to shut down and he will stop eating.  We will be there for you my sweet little Zachary!!  

     

Zachary and his little buddy are inseperable.  Zach has him with him where ever he is resting.

Sound asleep!

  ( Incidentally the limp in Zachary's hind leg is due to a torn ligament.)  

K.K. 

 September 2nd, 2015
  

Always adorable little Zachary!

  In the spring it didn't look good for Zachary.  I stood by him and started him on the Zylapour.  His being around people and other dogs really made him happy.  His body started to respond to the medication and he appeared to be getting better, livelier.  A follow up blood test mid-summer showed an improvement.  What can I say except HORRAY for Zachary.  We are going for another blood test soon and I will keep you posted!

KK 








Oct. 17th. 2015.

   Although it has been a difficult road for Zachary this past year, his story continues on a happy note.  His last blood tests were quite good and he got a clean bill of health. I couldn't have been more excited that he had gone from near death to almost cured.  He will continue to take his Zylapour everyday.  This meant that he could now move on to the family that had accepted him even when they thought he wouldn't make it, Sonja and Marjolein.  Earlier this month with the help of Rineke from Gaia Dogs, who personally came to pick him up, Zachary traveled to his forever home.  The last few days with him before he left brought a lump to my throat many times.  We cuddled together as much as we could although he was never lacking.  Zachary...you will always be my little guy who has a big part of my heart.  

Below you see him at his new home with some of his new friends ....

 I would like to thank Rineke of Gaia Dogs, for all your help plus Sonja and Marjolein for opening your hearts and home to little Zachary. 

K.K.