On the first day of April 2015, a friendly individual discovered a pup with an injury on its head. Our team of volunteers eagerly stepped up to provide their assistance, and every evening after work, we took turns venturing out to search for the animal, even though it meant enduring numerous mosquito and sandfly bites. Despite our initial failure to locate the dog, we remained persistent and continued to comb the area nightly.
We hurriedly brought our furry friend to the emergency veterinary clinic, and as soon as we arrived in a well-lit area, the reality of his condition hit us hard. The injury was severe – his left eye was gone, maggots had consumed part of his head, and he couldn’t open his right eye anymore. He must have been in excruciating pain and had been suffering for at least two weeks. Blood dripped from his wounds, and maggots crawled all over them, making us feel nauseous from the sight and smell. It was undoubtedly the worst maggot wound case we had ever witnessed. When we first noticed him four nights ago, his condition wasn’t as bad as this. However, the hot weather must have provided the perfect breeding ground for the maggots, causing them to destroy his eye and part of his head. Sadly, there was nothing much we could do except let him go since he had suffered enough for two long weeks. Our guess is that he must have gotten stuck in the forested area and lost his way out since he could no longer see, which is probably why we hadn’t spotted him for the past few nights. Fortunately, he came out that night instead of dying painfully in the thick forest.
With a heavy heart, we watched as the veterinarian administered the injection of euthanasia into the young and handsome stray puppy we decided to name Hugo. It’s truly heartbreaking to see how difficult a life can be for these poor strays. On Friday, we’ll be holding a private cremation for Hugo, with all expenses included in his vet bill, which amounts to $998/-. If you’d like to help us with Hugo’s bill, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]. We’re deeply sorry we couldn’t have found Hugo sooner and saved him from this fate. Even now, at 2:40 am, thoughts of him keep me awake.