Paralyzed Thai street dog needs further rehabilitation

Will Wolfie walk again? Love Animal House together with Hand to Paw Temple Dog Outreach believes he can and we need your help to build a small rehabilitation center on the property of the Love Animal House farm animal sanctuary to help make this possible. Immediate action is needed to move Wolfie from the Wat Mae Khung temple, a recovering paralyzed street dog, to receive continue rehabilitation and laser treatments.

The finalized rehabilitation center will house three dogs/cats and can later be used for future Hand to Paw temple dogs or street dogs that need a place to recover from an illness or injury. Wolfie is scheduled to move to LAH on Monday, June 9th. Fast action is taking place to build more rain drainage (it's rainy season!), a larger enclosed roofed and fenced area to keep them separated from the cows and water buffaloes, but free to roam around and a grassy shaded area to lie about. The interior of the building will have a water pipe installed for easy water access, an additional fan and vinyl awnings to protect them from heavy rains. Some more cement needs to be poured in the front of the enclosure so that it does not become muddy. Three separate pens are already present for the dogs to have their own sleeping quarters. With limited financial resources and time we are asking for your help today!

Wolfie’s story

Wolfie, a homeless street dog of Chiang Mai, Thailand joined the Hand to Paw club in May 2014. Wolfie came to our program from the Care for Dogs (www.carefordogs.org) shelter where he had spent several months convalescing from a terrible road accident which left him paralyzed in both of his hind legs. With the dedication and care of the CfD staff Wolfie recovered from his injuries and with acupuncture treatments was learning to walk again. The Care for Dog Foundation is a rescue facility, not a long-term sanctuary so once Wolfie came to this point in his recovery a search had begun to find a home for him.  Finding a home for an adult dog, let alone a crippled dog is not an easy task anywhere and especially in Thailand. Almost losing hope, the staff contacted Joy Huss, Founder of the Hand to Paw Temple Dog Outreach (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hand-to-Paw/282948003501) and asked if one of the nine temples in their care could offer sanctuary for Wolfie. The Wat Mae Khung temple quickly came to mind - not only is it a quiet temple surrounded by rice fields, it is also looked after by the gentle monk Luang Pi Yai, also a recovering victim from a terrible motorcycle accident in which he received critical injuries and a leg broken in 4 places. He also is learning to walk again.

Although Wolfie is walking again his hind quarters are still weak and require daily exercise to build up strength. When he becomes tired he begins to drag his back end which causes small wounds to appear on the tops of his paws and hips.

Hand to Paw does not just walk away and cross our fingers and hope for the best for the dogs that still require some medical attention. With the help of Marianne from Love Animal House (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-Animal-House/146324675438811) we began the first of a series of laser treatments that will help to restore mobility in Wolfie's legs and also speed healing of his wounds. Marianne worked many years in laser treatment for animals in Singapore where she treated disabled animals at the Singapore Zoo and other animals in need. She said the results from laser treatment are amazing. Marinanne has focused her treatments on Wolfie’s liver, kidneys and gall bladder points as well as his governing axis which works on the spine running from the tip of his tail to his nose. Luang Pi Yai says that he is still enjoys walking around everywhere and seems to him to be getting stronger and collapsing less. 

After last week’s visit we noticed that Wolfie’s wounds on his paws and hips had returned and he was keeping himself confined under a bamboo charpoy inside the temple that is currently being constructed. The inside of the construction area is filled with discarded debris, broken glass and tiles, loose wires and all other sorts of obstructions. We also observed that the Head Abbott had gone away for the weekend and only left two big plates of food out for the three temples dogs and four cats. There was no other person around. Should anything have happened to Wolfie there would have been no one there to help him. We were very distressed with this latest development.

After careful consideration Marianne devised a plan to bring Wolfie to her animal sanctuary where most of her remaining farm animals coexist. Marianne has actually retired from taking in more street dogs that need rescuing or sanctuary, but she thought she could make an area on her cow and water buffalo farm into a temporary rehabilitation area for dogs such as Wolfie to receive daily laser treatment, muscle building and strength conditioning. With closer observation we will also be able to make decisions on whether a wheel chair is necessary or other medical decisions.

Please help us make Wolfie's future brighter and hope for other dogs that require temporary treatment and place for convalescence.