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Faith - an innocent dog shot in the head at close range
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On the 11th November, Joan from P.A.W.S (a voluntary animal welfare organisation on Crete) were called by the caretaker of a local church where an abandoned dog that had taken refuge.
Joan and her team were shocked to find that the dog had several day old gun shot wounds to her face which were severely infected and infested with maggots.
The team rushed her to the local vet where she underwent treatment.
The Vet confirmed that Faith (as she has been named by her rescuers) had been shot at close range and it is possible that the person responsible
would have held the dog close to the barrel
of the gun for the shot to have caused the damage that it has. |
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Below is Faith's story as told by Joan. I've never seen anything like that in my life and hope I never will again. The vet wants to do everything he can to help us with the prosecution. On closer inspection he found the small round shot balls so it was a shotgun but at close range - he may have been holding the dog while he shot him because the vet said the barrel must have been so close to her face to make that injury. The amount and size of the maggots in her face showed she had been there for four or five days - god knows how she didn't die of dehydration alone, never mind the horrific injury and infection. The smell was so bad we were almost being sick in the car going to the vet.
The old church caretaker found her inside the church yesterday when he went to clean and he put her outside. He phoned my husband George this morning (I think he didn't know about us until he asked someone) then Jill and I went to get her. Today is a holiday in Heraklion, I didn't know when I called, and every shop, including the vet, was shut but when I phoned him he came out and opened up the surgery for us.
The vet was horrified and as soon as he saw her he asked if we wanted to put her to sleep and I said just sedate her first and take a closer look and then we will see.
After he checked her over and removed all the maggots (he was worried they had reached her brain) I asked what he thought. I said if she will not have a chance for a
good life we will put her straight to sleep but if she can recover we have to save her - When I got home from the vet I thought she was already dead in the back of the car - she was completely limp as I picked her up and laid her down in her bed. The most important thing was to get some liquid inside her. All those days with not even water should have killed her. I made a solution of honey and warm water and, with a syringe, squeezed it in the good side of her mouth and it just poured out again. After two more attempts she swallowed - I couldn't believe it. She swallowed about 7 or 8 tiny 2.5ml syringes of liquid but was so exhausted I left her quiet for an hour and by then the chicken soup was cooked and she had more than ten 5m syringes of it. I will give her more before bed and hopefully it will be enough for her stomach to take the antibiotics - two kinds and they are very strong and can't be taken on an empty stomach. She is so low I don't know if she will survive tonight - if she does I think she has a good chance. Even if she does not make it she will die knowing that not all people are murderers and someone loves her. She deserves this chance whatever happens.
UPDATE
12th November 2010 - email from Joan
The good news is that Faith has made it through the night. At 7am I checked to see if she was still breathing and she was but she didn't seem at all improved from last night.
I started with the chicken soup in the syringe - just a tiny one so I could slide it in the corner of her mouth and trickle it down her throat.
After three of them she licked her lips - a tiny gesture but a huge sign for me. Then I tried her with a tiny piece of cheese, to see if it might be a way to get her to take
the antibiotics without a struggle, by wrapping them in cheese, and it worked.
Two hours later I started with the syringe again and after the first swallow she held the syringe
in her teeth - again not world shattering under normal circumstances but it convinced me she was on the mend. I gave her a small dish of water and she managed to lap at it with her
head tilted sideways - then a bowl of soup - then tiny bits of chicken. The next time I went up to her she wagged her tail. It's amazing how much she has transformed in 24 hours.
She's just had her last meal of chicken and antibiotics for the night and she's sleeping now.
UPDATE
13th November 2010 - email from Joan
There is such improvement in Faith and while she has a long road ahead her progress is better than I hoped at this stage.
Here is a short video of her enjoying her chicken today. Her cone is so difficult to keep clean because her wound is constantly weeping and she shakes her head splattering
it all over but she is terrified when I try to wipe it inside and I'm trying not to upset her if possible.
UPDATE
15th November 2010
On the 15th Faith was again taken to the vet, because there was still a big hole in her face as
there just wasn't enough healthy tissue to stitch it all up. The shotgun pellets destroyed a large area of her cheek and the maggots did the rest.
The vet spent almost an hour 'patching up' Faith's face. In total she now has around 50 stitches! Some from the first operation on the 11th.
He also inserted a 'drain' so any pus formed would run out of the drain. Of course Faith is still on antibiotics and painkillers.
She is eating well, although Joan more or less mashes up all the food so that Faith doesn't have to open her mouth too widely (and risk breaking the stitches).
There is an area which looks quite raw and Joan thinks she may have broken a couple of stitches (or the skin around the stitches was too stretched/damaged to hold them in place).
Not taking any chances she will go to the vets again tomorrow morning.
UPDATE
21st November 2010
While the vet in Greece truly did his best in 'repairing' Faith's stitches, it is highly likely that she will need a skin graft. Faith was flown to Holland on the 20th November where she
will see a vet who specialises in skin gratfs.
FAITH'S EMERGENCY FUND APPEAL
21st December 2010
We'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated money for Faith's treatment. The total raised from the appeal was £1,500.
In particular we'd like to thank Linda Blampied who ran the La Rochelle Marathon to raise funds for Faith. Linda and those that sponsored her helped to raise a fantastic £768.
The rest of the money was donated by Greek Animal Rescue.
UPDATE
29th December 2010
Faith has since been adopted by the Dutch couple who were fostering her (who also adopted Casey -
another dog from Greece that was found abandoned in a terrible state). Faith continued to receive treatment and thankfully a skin graft was not necessary.
UPDATE
10th February 2011
Check out the video footage of Faith playing with a friend at her new home in Holland!
UPDATE
20th February 2011
An update from Faith's mum and dad which they sent with the pictures below.
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She didn't flinch or growl or anything when I had to pull her out of the narrow space she was wedged in between two walls at the church.
he said we should try to save her. First we thought she had lost one eye but it is ok.
She has lost some teeth but he said her jaw will be able to work so she will be able to eat eventually, if she can get through these first few days.
Added: 14th November 2010 Updated: 20th February 2011