Dumaguete Animal Sanctuary

Every Life Matters

RIP

Chase

Chase

On Wednesday 7 June 2023, we rescued a hit and run dog that had been left in the middle of the road. Luckily someone saw the dog and moved him to the side of the road.  Estella, one of our board members went and got him and took him to Animal Wellness for x-rays. We named him Chase.  He had a fracture in his spine but Doc Gama believes with a course of laser therapy and hydrotherapy he will walk again.

He began the laser therapy which was to be a course of 10 days. Laser therapy has helped so many of our dogs walk again, but Chase passed away very suddenly yesterday on 12 June 2023.
The vets noticed that his vitals had become unstable and did blood tests immediately. His kidneys had gone into a critical state and his liver readings were also high despite an all out effort to save him he passed away.  His blood tests when we first rescued him were ok so it's very likely that the trauma from the hit and run had damaged his liver and kidneys and they slowly stopped functioning. It's not easy to know what damage has been done when a dog is run over.
At least he didn't die alone on the street and was given the best chance at survival.
Thank you to everyone who donated for him. His bill was 23,000 pesos so your donations covered most of that.
Run free chase, say hi to Joy, Creamy, Salvador and all the other DAS dogs that are over the bridge.

Assam

Assam

We lost our third dog to distemper yesterday. Little Assam didn't make it.
Assam was only 4 months old, dumped outside the shelter by an irresponsible person who can't do the basic care and stop a female dog becoming pregnant.

Assam

Assam

Assam RIP

Assam RIP

We are sorry Assam that you had to endure what you did in your short life.  Run free little one.

Assam

Assam

Tawnee

Tawnee

Tragically we lost a puppy to Distemper today - poor little Tawney succumbed to this awful disease. Tawney was a puppy that was dumped outside the Sanctuary a few weeks ago with her brother Toffee. Although all our adult dogs are vaccinated against distemper, vaccination doesn't give 100% protection.

Tawnee

Tawnee

Tawnee

Tawnee

It just trains the immune system to recognise the virus when a dog first comes into contact with it so that it can mount an immediate response. There is no cure for Distemper - its all down to whether the immune cells can overpower it before it proliferates in a dog's system. Also, there are different strains of the virus so if the strain is different, it can take a little longer for the immune cells to figure out how to kill it.

Tawnee

Tawnee

Joy

Joy

Joy was scheduled to be euthanized on the day we rescued her, along with 6 other dogs.
When her beautiful fur grew back and her sweet-natured personality began to shine through, we were so hopeful that we’d find a suitable adopter for her.
But it wasn’t meant to be.

Joy

Joy

After a few months, she started to develop lumps on her abdominal area. We initially removed them surgically, but they grew back quite quickly. After that we tried two different chemo drugs, but they didn’t have any effect.  We were considering our options, when she suddenly passed away suddenly on 11 May 2023. Up until the evening before, she had been active, eating well, and enjoying her walks.

It’s devastating when one of our dogs suddenly dies, but we take comfort in knowing that she felt loved in her final months. She was happy during her time at the sanctuary; literally a little bundle of joy.
Thank you to everyone who donated for Joy and the other pound dogs. Because of your donation, Joy was able to experience a few months of happiness, and died surrounded by people who loved her.  You can read more about Joy on her profile page here.

Brandi

Brandi

We have some devastating news - Brandi, the first dog to get Distemper in this current outbreak - died very unexpectedly at 950pm on 17 May 2023, just 6 days after symptoms first started to show.
Distemper is a truly awful disease that can drag on for weeks ending in a very painful death. The only consolation is that Brandi didn't have to go through a long agonising illness.

Brandi

Brandi

After a few months, she started to develop lumps on her abdominal area. We initially removed them surgically, but they grew back quite quickly. After that we tried two different chemo drugs, but they didn’t have any effect.  We were considering our options, when she suddenly passed away suddenly on 11 May 2023. Up until the evening before, she had been active, eating well, and enjoying her walks.

Brandi

Brandi

The difficulty with distemper is that it is so unpredictable. A dog can pass away in any of the three stages of the disease.
The Respiratory phase can cause death from respiratory failure or pneumonia.
The Gastrointestinal phase can cause death from multiple organ issues - especially pancreatitis.
The Neurological phase - usually the final phase - causes death from slow paralysis and multiple seizures.
All our adult dogs are vaccinated and we gave the Distemper antibody Canglob D to Brandi. We did everything possible but sometimes the viral strain is too potent or the dogs immune system can't fight it off.  At 8pm Brandi was following Raymond around and able to walk. At 9:50pm she died.
For those of you who would like to know more about Brandis story - you can see her profile here.
We are currently living in fear as to who else may get sick - please keep all our dogs in your thoughts.
Rest in Peace Brandi - we know you thoroughly enjoyed your stay at the shelter - you were so full of life. Run Free sweet girl.