I HAD to get Simon. I passed him at least twice a day on the way to work. I watched as the kids threw him, threw things at him, kicked him, never fed him. I came to Africa to do some good, I guess I just didn't think it would extend to the canine population.
Unfortunately, most Malawians do not like dogs. They are treated as we would treat a racoons or possums; they are pests here. Dogs survive purely from scavanging out of garbage pits and stealing food.
Needless to say Simon is pitiful. I was told he is about 3 months old, but the dog can barely walk. I have to carry him outside for him to go the the bathroom, which makes for easy house training, but it breaks my heart. He came covered in thousands and thousands of fleas. It took 4 flea baths and 2 rounds of flea powder to get them all off, so he's now flea free but his skin is still suffering the effects. Every day he becomes a little less shy, but he still trembles and shakes when I pick him up. I'm assuming this is from a combination of abuse and no real positive human interaction.
The biggest challenge now is getting him to eat. He seems to enjoy milk (I'm using milk powder and water), and I've been adding a tablespoon of oil to it to increase the calories. Otherwise he is unwilling to eat much else. I've tried bread soaked in milk, dried fish (he is mildly interested in these), eggs, potato soup, ramen noodles, and chicken (which he loved, but its virtually impossible to get here.) So what do you feed puppies if there is no dog food? And how much should they be eating? And do I worry if he doesn't eat?
I'll be honest I'm not sure how successful I will be at nursing him back to health. If he does make it through puppy-hood how to I begin to encourage positive behaviors? I worry that the past abuse will make for an agressive dog later. What are warning signs of this? So far he hasn't barked, growled, nothing, and he does seem to enjoy being held more and more.
Clearly I am in way over my head. Anyone out there with dog owning experience help me out here!!
Katie, this breaks my heart. I am so sad for him. I can send you a book if you like - I'll look around for a book that addresses raising a puppy who's been abused.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you that there's no way to know what a dog will grow up to be. You may have an adorable, totally normal rescue who's a little high-strung and decides one day that he doesn't like women. Maybe Simon will start responding to you and grow up to be a great dog. Either way, I don't think you could have handled not intervening.
I love you!
Hi Katie,
ReplyDeleteTo get him interested in other tastes, you could try smearing some food on his paws and let him "eat" it by licking it off. Also, mix nsima, eggs, etc., in with his milk. Mild may give him diarrhea, so you'll want to watch that. Also, be sure he stays hydrated. Good luck.
pila- thank you so much for the feedback. He had no interest in my nsima, but that's because it came out looking like a pile of glue. My wonderful neighbor has agreed to help me the next time I attempt to cook it. I guess a real Malawian dog would only want to eat real Malawian nsima!
ReplyDeleteKatie