Got a call from a lady feeding dogs in Kaohsiung about this pooch. She could not catch him despite having fed him for quite some time. He’s very wild. I was quite shocked to see the extent of the damage the rubber band has caused around his neck once we were able to have a closer look. The pictures don’t quite show how deep the wound is, but you get a good idea. He went in for surgery this evening immediately after we captured him. I think he will be fine with lots of antibiotics and some rest.
His name is Mouse.
Some people think that some dogs get into that predicament by putting their snout into lunch boxes that still have rubber bands on them. It’s not entirely impossible. Better not take the chance… Please keep it in mind when you dispose of your lunch boxes. And if someone did this… Well… It’s a wonderful world we live in, is it not…
are you talking about the same normal rubber bands that can feet on my wrist? the red or yellowish ones? wow i never thought that could happen, i will be very careful and tell the ppl i know to be more careful as well … thx for helping him
Yes, it’s a common rubber band about 3" in diameter commonly used to hold lunch boxes closed. It would fit around your wrist. If stretched out to fit around your neck, it would eventually work its way into the skin and through the flesh. Not very painful at first, and not even tight enough to block blood circulation. But over time, it would certainly kill you once the main blood vessels are severed. This dog has had this around his neck for months, my guess is, because the skin was healed right over it about 6 inches long behind his ears. I’m talking completely healed, even the fur was almost fully grown back and all that was visible is a tiny scar. Underneath the scar, however, the band keeps digging its way in slowly. Around the throat area, it got infected and split right open as seen in the image. The smell is horrid.
We rescued another one like this about two years ago, except the rubber band went over the one ear. It ended up sealing the ear cavity shut. Despite our best efforts, the dog died of an inner ear infection that ended up spreading and leaking puss nearly three inches away from the ear out of a rotten hole the size of a dime at the back of his skull. :s
I hope at least you did not have to chase him for too long:
[quote]Members of the Animal Rescue Team Taiwan managed to catch six seriously ill stray dogs in the central city of Taichung and transport them to the organization’s base in Kaohsiung City Wednesday for emergency treatment [color=#BF0000]after a marathon chase of more than 18 hours. [/color]
The operation, which involved transporting the dogs over a long distance of 200 kilometers, was launched after the non-profit organization was informed that a pack of stray dogs sheltered by a vagrant living in an abandoned property in Taichung were suffering from severe skin disease, had lost almost all their hair and were bleeding from many parts of their bodies.
In preparation for the rescue operation, volunteers were dispatched one week in advance to inspect the location, and wooden planks and cardboard were used to block off all possible exits.
The operation, however, did not go as smoothly as anticipated, although the area was cordoned off, a blowpipe was being used to sedate the animals, and local residents and volunteers from northern and central Taiwan joined the effort.
The team eventually captured the animals after almost a whole day of work and delivered them immediately to the Hung-Li Animal Hospital in Kaohsiung for treatment.
yup…ive seen this kind of thing back home with stray dogs. There are country areas where I am from, and sometimes a dog will show up and he has the same collar or chain around his neck he/she had when they were puppies.
Also you know those things that hold a 6 pack of cans together? They really hurt wildlife as well. That is why since I was young, i was taught to clip the rings, so that if they ever found their way outside of the trash bag they wont pose AS much of a threat. Maybe people should do the same with these rubber bands
