Week 16: Operation Tiny

This is Tiny. She's a small soi dog living on the polluted mayhem of Rama IV road, near our old serviced apartment. When we first met her, we had a load of barbecued chicken we wanted to get rid of. She was so skinny - most definitely the best soi dog candidate. She ate the lot very daintily. Then Fatt started feeding her almost every evening. Sometimes she would eat ravenously, other times she wouldn't have the appetite but would look in our eyes and lick our hands in sweet affection.

Fatt took her to the vet because we thought she might have worms. While pretty active, she wasn't putting on weight. The vet said it may be worms, but more likely a very bad kidney with readings way off the chart. The vet wondered how Tiny could still be alive.

It's been about 3 weeks since we moved away. Fatt still went to see her about once a week and then he asked me to let her move in. She had no energy, could barely wag her tail and was now super-skinny. He thought she might die very soon.

While not over-keen to have a sick/dying dog on the premises, I agreed. So Fatt put her in a cardboard box, grabbed a taxi and made it over to our flat. She emerged, shaky and holocaust-thin, wary of her surroundings. Fatt gave her a good scrub.

As he had to work during the day, I was left to 'look after' Tiny. She wouldn't eat and hardly drank any water. She is still the sweetest dog, but very stubborn - won't be led by a lead. While still able to wag her tail, in general she's lacklustre, completely without energy.

I feel sorry for her, but have to balance that with needing to make sure I'm notgoing to catch anything which could harm the baby. I'm not a natural with dogs. I began to read experiences of tick infestations of the home and got very paranoid about her. At the same time, I'm sure she's not happy to be cooped up indoors.

But I still have to remember her lovely nature and the hard life she must have had so far.

On the weekend, Fatt took her to the vets. They're keeping her overnight on a drip. Hopefully she'll be OK...