This picture of Damyang (below) had been put out by volunteers at his kill-shelter as one final plea — and as fate would have it, our team came across it. Every day, we get dozens of requests to help dogs all over the country, but we just couldn't shake the feeling that this doleful Eeyore-ish face was calling to us...
Damyang was scheduled to be euthanized the day we picked him up. He was battered and broken, absolutely petrified of any human contact.
Picture of Damyang circulated on social media.
Unfortunately mislabeled as "aggressive", Damyang had very little chance of being adopted. To make matters worse, he had a badly sprained neck from being ensnared, which is ironically the reason he was able to be caught and taken off the streets. His head tilt suggested that he had to get it corrected via extensive and potentially expensive treatments — these are not necessarily "attractive" qualities for a shelter animal looking to capture the hearts of a forever family.
Damyang on his way to the 24-hour emergency vet, where he was admitted for two nights.
We picked Damyang up from the shelter and drove straight to the vet. He was covered in ticks, so the first thing they did was shave off his severely matted fur. They also gave him medication to kill off any lingering pests. Initial tests suggested that he had several tick-borne diseases such as Lyme and anaplasmosis, but a PCR blood test later ruled those out. X-rays also showed that he had no broken bones and they couldn't find anything internally wrong with his neck. Woohoo!
However, Damyang tested positive for heartworm, and the vet strongly recommended that we take care of that first before tackling other issues, like his suspected bladder stone. Korea is currently experiencing a shortage of heartworm medication, so our priority will be in sourcing and administering it to him as soon as possible.
Damyang's initial diagnosis at VIP Animal Medical Center in Chungdam-dong.
Because the vet wanted to run more tests on Damyang and given his extremely frail condition, we decided to have him stay the night. They put him on a drip to safely administer some much-needed nutrients and vitamins and kept a close eye on him all night. We always feel like our dogs are in such good and capable hands at the VIP Animal Medical Center in Chungdam-dong — a huge thank you to the amazing staff and doctors!
On the day Damyang was released, we gave him a nice bath. He took to it surprisingly well; in fact, we think he could get used to being pampered!
Damyang's body was devoured by ticks.
Damyang enjoying being brushed after his bath.
One thing Damyang has going for him is his voracious appetite. The boy LOVES TO EAT and we love to see it! He will need to pack on many more pounds to regain his strength. Damyang is not a picky eater but we are ready to spoil him with some vet-approved treats ;)
Dinner is served.
On the first night with us, Damyang was already coming out of his shell. He is an inquisitive boy and curious about his surroundings. We could not have been more excited to see this side of his personality and can't wait to see more of it!
"Whatcha boys got in here?"
Damyang continues to heal every day. We feel so privileged to be able to help this boy, thanks to our wonderful supporters. Your donations make this work possible, and for that, we can't thank you enough.
Damyang welcomes pets and loves getting his ears scratched.
Something tells us this boy is on his way to become a world-class snuggler.