Help support little Roux's recovery

This little pup is a 3 month old girl who was found abandoned with the trash on a Saturday morning in the midst of Hanoi's torrential rainy season (July 28th 2018). She was not strong enough to walk on her own and was thought to be paralysed in her front legs when she was picked up by the charity Hanoi Pet Adoption: https://www.facebook.com/hanoipetadoption/  They took her to a local vet but due to lack of funding they were severely limited in what they could do to help her.


I have lived in Hanoi for the past two years and follow the work of this organisation and they asked if I could foster her. As a dog lover, of course I wanted to help but the hitch was that we were due to go on holiday the next day! I initially said I would foster her when we returned on August 10th - but curiosity got the better of me! So on Sunday just after we'd dropped off our two dogs with their holiday dog-sitter,I made my way to the back street local vets where she was being sheltered. Conditions inside were very basic, she was in a hard metal cage and it was clear to me that her condition was very serious, she was tiny, and so weak that she could not lift her head. The vets were very busy there with many other animals needing care and the space was very cramped, hot and noisy. It was apparent to me that she needed urgent care or she would die.



I made the decision to call the vets here that we use for our own dogs and got her transferred to iVet Center myself in a taxi; just as another rain storm started! In the taxi to my surprise she started to respond to me and did the only movement she could manage which was to roll over slightly so I could rub her tummy - we were friends :) At iVet their Thai vet went straight into action and tested first for viral disease to see if she could stay there for treatment while we were on holiday- thankfully she tested negative for distemper and was able to go on a drip to get some if her strength up. She tested her legs and although she squealed in pain when they were touched the important thing is that she can feel them which hopefully means she is just very nutritionally deficient and lacking in calcium to be able to stand properly herself; the vet could see marks on her elbows where she'd been using those to shuffle around on before she collapsed with the exhaustion of it all. She has pneumonia in her chest from the wet conditions but that should respond well to antibiotics. Luckily x-rays have shown no fractures or breaks and just a few skin mites and the next day evidence of some serious worms! We are hopeful that with the right care the vets can get her walking again as she strengthens up. Unfortunately in Vietnam a lack of knowledge of pet care leads to dogs being fed human food (most likely rice) which has poor nutritional benefit and leads to problems like this, especially when coupled with being caged up which they often are. Lack of vitamin D due to being kept indoors also contributes to thin and weak bones. She was put straight on an IV drip and antibiotics. She even tried a bit of dog food which she rather liked!


I have named her Roux - if you are a fan of the Hunger Games series of books you will recognise that character name: Rue was described as a small girl in stature but not to be underestimated! I hope that Roux will get her strength up enough to walk on her own and she can eventually join our two dogs at home while she gets ready for her forever home. Fortunately we are in a good position to be able to offer this pup the help that she initially needs, but know that we are likely to rack up a large bill as the vets work on stimulating her legs to work properly and in boarding costs there while we are away. She has just started physio and is responding well.

Our friends at Ivet have already offered a discount but I wanted to see if together we could gather together some donations with your support for her ongoing care and eventually all her vaccinations. Anything that is left over will be donated to Hanoi Pet Adoption to support the work that they are doing to help abused, neglected and abandoned animals here. Thank you so much in advance! Claire, Gary and Roux xxx