Day Two

While out giving biscuits to my friend’s dogs, we noticed there was a stray she hadn’t seen in the neighborhood before that was suffering from a large maggot wound. It is recognizably a maggot wound because it is a hole in the skin that goes pretty deep. There is a good deal of swelling and sensitivity, and is very painful for the dog. These kinds of wounds need to be given a great deal of attention because the dogs live outside where they roll in the filthy mud, get bitten by other dogs, and are the target of more and more flies. Without care this wound was likely to get worse until it ended the dog’s life.

You wouldn’t believe it, but someone owns this dog. She (the dog) lives outside of a big house where people from a nearby embassy live. A few other dogs also live out there, including 4 new puppies. Since the owners were clearly not taking care of their animals (maggot wounds, no spaying), we asked them if we could do all the work free of charge. They said no. They did not want the maggot wounds to be cleaned and they did not want Shona, the female with puppies, to be spayed. This sounds like a job for the Vigilante Veterinarians! In this sense, we truly are vigilantes, because we disobey rules to achieve justice. Watching an animal in need, knowing you can help, and being denied the opportunity to do so is one of the most painful feelings in the world, so in cases like this it is necessary to assume the role of a vigilante.

I am the non-violent Dexter of the veterinary world.