Chain reaction

Hello hello!

It’s a fact that, over almost a decade and a half, International Animal Rescue in Goa has had phenomenal success helping tens of thousands of stray dogs and cats. And, even when these animals are returned to their home territories, their lives are still protected by the ongoing support of the charity. Recently our rescue team was called out by a compassionate individual who had witnessed the plight of a dog in one of the nearby tourist resorts of Calangute and knew that IAR would help. The young male dog had a heavy chain tightly attached to his neck which was causing him much distress and discomfort. The caller reported that he'd been seen in the locality for some time. Although he was dragging a chain leash he didn’t seem to have an owner.

Dog with neck wound

Apart from the evident friction wound caused by the chain rubbing on his neck, the dog appeared to be in good health. Possibly the chain had been attached while he continued to grow, becoming tighter as time passed. The dog welfare team, led by Krishna who has years of experience and a natural talent for calming and rescuing strays in trouble, set off to rescue the dog who evaded them for some days. However eventually he was safely in their care and transported back to the rescue centre.

Dog after treatment

On arrival at Animal Tracks he was sedated and examined by duty vet Nikhil. He already had the "V" shaped ear clip which is IAR’s easily visible indicator that strays have been sterilised and vaccinated, along with a unique ear tattoo which is an individual record of identity, enabling IAR to monitor an animal's previous history and also a means for lost and found animals to be reunited with their owners. The IAR system check revealed that the dog had not been officially adopted, only that he had temporarily passed through, like thousands of others. But for some reason someone had attached the heavy chain to this dog's neck and secured him, possibly as a guard dog. He had been well fed and was in good condition apart from where the chain had worn away the fur and cut into the skin around his neck, causing a superficial but calloused wound that would have gradually become infected and increasingly painful.

We will never know what had actually happened and how he came to be trailing the heavy chain, but thanks to prompt intervention by a member of the public and our own IAR team, this lucky dog was freed and his wound easily and effectively treated.

That’s all for now!

Love Olive x